Once is Not Enough
by In A Dark Corner Smiling
Summary: The Ministry of Magic has developed a new program to get students to assist the war effort. Harry would normally be all too happy to join in, but...how is forcing him to be with Draco Malfoy supposed to help fight Voldemort? Seventh Year. DMHP slash.
1. Prologue

**SPOILERS! DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ ALL OF THE BOOKS!**

**Prologue: Differences between Sixth Year in HBP and Sixth Year as it happened before the events of this story... **

**(This is simply a point-by-point list to establish some background for this story. It does not represent in any way the writing style of the actual story :-D So check out Chapter 1 before you make any judgements!)**

Draco was ordered to kill Dumbledore, but was never given the Dark Mark.

Snape never made an Unbreakable Vow to protect Draco and complete his mission should he fail, because Narcissa never asked. She wasn't allowed to leave Malfoy Manor.

Dumbledore was not dying, because he didn't make the mistake of touching the cursed ring.

When Dumbledore offered Draco and his parents sanctuary, Draco chose to accept the offer. When Snape showed up and learned how the situation had changed, he diverted the other Death Eaters with the lie that Dumbledore had managed to flee, at which point they all 'chased' him to the gates of Hogwarts (followed by a number of Order members) and, when realizing he had 'gotten away', were forced to leave Hogwarts and return to their master's side.

Snape therefore maintained his cover, was able to help Dumbledore recover from the green potion from the cave, and continues to serve as a spy. While Harry now knows Snape is on their side, as he was on the Astronomy Tower and so saw him divert the Death Eaters when he could just as easily have killed Dumbledore, Snape is also still a bastard to Harry and Harry still loathes Snape.

Voldemort was _very_ displeased to learn that Draco had failed him and managed to avoid returning to him for punishment and, when he called for the elder Malfoys only to learn that they were suddenly missing as well, became quite determined to see the Malfoy line extinguished completely.

Since Dumbledore is still alive, he is also still the main person working on the 'Horcrux Problem', but that doesn't mean Harry has forgotten about them completely.


	2. Chapter 1 The Other Shoe

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, its characters, etc.

**Warnings:** This is Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy slash. That means a male/male relationship. Future chapters will contain some explicit content. And last but not least, there will be mpreg (male pregnancy).

**AN:** Hello! This is my very first fanfiction. I hope you enjoy it!

**________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 1 The Other Shoe**

Harry Potter's seventh year at Hogwarts had begun without any unexpected news, dire warnings, death threats, strange dreams, sudden attacks, or uncomfortable meetings. In fact, Harry had spent most of the summer with the Weasleys and Hermione at the Burrow, and they made it to the Hogwarts express on time and without a hitch. The train ride went smoothly; even Malfoy's taunting was oddly absent. Hermione had said he'd seemed distracted or something. Probably the normal way to feel if you've managed to get on Voldemort's bad side by failing to complete his orders and instead taking Dumbledore's offer of protection. The trio arrived in the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast. They all grinned up at Lupin as he was reinstated as the DADA professor (Professor Snape was returning to his Potions position) and Dumbledore assured the student body that they would be perfectly safe. Harry watched the sorting, had a brilliant meal, listened to the announcements, and headed off to Gryffindor Tower happily.

Harry was now lying in bed, thinking about the lack of drama. Something always seemed to happen around the start of term. This year nothing had, and Harry was worried. As far as he was concerned, it was waiting-for-the-other-shoe-to-drop time, and Harry was anxious as to what that shoe might be. He finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.

The next morning classes started, and Harry temporarily forgot his shoe-musing in favor of the mindless boredom that always accompanied History of Magic. It was at lunch that Harry was reminded of his musings. When everyone had seemed fairly far along in their meals, Dumbledore had stood up at the head table and called for attention.

"There will be a meeting this evening at 6:00. The attendance of every seventh year is mandatory. On the following evenings there will be further meetings for the other years, which I will announce each day at lunch. Due to the war that is quickly building, it has been decided that all should have a hand in helping our cause. Various…smaller…needs of the war are to be met by students. This is part of a radical new Ministry program called Proactive Unilateral Demoralizing Damage Limiting Evaluation, or PUDDLE. More information will be provided at the individual meetings. All meetings will be held in the Great Hall, and dinner will be served in the common rooms for the week. Enjoy the rest of your day!"

Dumbledore's speech had quickly silenced the entire room. As whispers finally began around the Hall following the Headmaster's cheery salutation, Harry and Ron immediately turned to Hermione for further explanation.

She shot them a withering look that said 'Don't you have brains of your own…that you actually use!' and Harry decided to give it a try.

"It - does it – well, um, the Ministry is _still_ interfering at Hogwarts and, er…they're making all the students help with the war effort with this – this Puddle thing, right?"

Hermione nodded approvingly, and then filled in Harry's assessment with some of her own. "Yes, Harry, the Ministry is still interfering, and by the sounds of things they are planning on forcing _minors_ to shoulder a part of the burden of war! It's disgusting, it's preposterous, it's…UGHHH!"

Harry and Ron gave Hermione a strange look. It wasn't like her to be at a loss for words. However the moment passed as they caught a snippet of conversation next to them, and joined the speculation of what might happen at the meeting that evening.

**********************************************************

They showed up at 5:55 and took their seats quickly. The Great Hall was buzzing with conversation. Instead of the house tables, there were several smaller tables concentrated in one area of the room, and a curtain at the other end that made Harry nervous. 'This is it' he thought, 'the shoe…' and he groaned out loud. His friends were about to ask what was up when Dumbledore appeared and all eyes went to him.

"Good evening, everyone. Thank you for being punctual. Before we begin I would like to ask a few things of you. First, please understand that this situation is out of my hands. The Ministry has authority in this case. Second of all, please try to contain any outbursts, as they really help nothing in the end. And third, some of what is about to happen will undoubtedly shock you, and I'd like to forewarn you so you can mentally prepare."

Harry was squirming in his seat. This was not good. This was sooooo not good. "What in Merlin's name is going on here?! Mentally prepare ourselves for shock? Try to contain any outbursts? Bloody hell!"

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed, "Just try to keep your cool. We don't have all the facts yet!"

Ron snorted. "Seems to me we don't have ANY facts yet."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but Dumbledore chose that moment to start speaking again. Ron felt a bit grateful. That is until he heard what the Headmaster had to say.

"There is no easy way to say this." He took a deep breath. "As seventh years you are all of age, and considered adults in the wizarding world. As such, the Ministry has chosen to assign to you all an…adult task."

He paused, and Harry caught whispers of students' guesses as to what 'adult task' they were being given.

"Will we have to train to fight!?" "Maybe we're going to learn to heal…" "…train magical creatures to…" "…hope it's nothing too dangerous." "Merlin, this is crazy, how can they…"

Dumbledore cleared his throat, inspiring silence once more. "The Ministry has assigned you the task of Preemptive Population Recovery." A room full of blank faced students waited for Dumbledore to explain. They had no idea what he meant.

The Headmaster sighed sadly, making everyone feel a bit more tense, before he finally dropped the bomb – or the other shoe, as it may be. "The Ministry has declared that all seventh years in appropriate fitness and health will be paired off in order to conceive as many children as possible, in an attempt to lessen the blow to our population resulting from the war."

Five whole seconds of shocked silence followed before the explosions began, Dumbledore's plea be damned. Sentiments along the lines of 'Bloody hell!' 'They can't do this!' 'Damn Ministry!' 'I won't go along with this!' and so on were expressed throughout the room.

One student managed to yell out above the rest, "How will these 'pairs' be decided?!"

Quiet descended once again as Dumbledore began to answer. "Ah, an excellent question. You will each be called forward one at a time. You will go behind the curtain to be examined in various ways and for various things. Nothing to be worried about, I assure you. It is through this examination, and an accompanying questionnaire, that we will pair you with someone who seems the most compatible. The attempt at compatibility was not required by the Ministry, but we felt it would be helpful on all counts. And in case any of you are worried about any existing relationships, fear not. Part of the questionnaire allows for you to request a specific person; however, be warned that requests will only be granted if each partner requests the other, so I suggest you discuss it. You all will have five minutes to gather your thoughts and make any plans necessary."

The Great Hall exploded with sounds as soon and the speech concluded. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were three of the very few people _not_ talking. Harry looked at them both with wide eyes, and after a moment Ron cleared his throat. Harry and Hermione turned to look at him only to discover he had a fierce, determined look and was blushing so deeply it looked like he might not be breathing. But he was, as evidenced by the gulp of air he took in before looking squarely at Hermione. For a moment they just stared at each other, and Harry felt scorched by the intensity of that stare. He felt he should look away, but found he couldn't. Hermione suddenly gave a quick nod of her head, and began blushing as much as Ron. Harry was shocked to realize they had just communicated, without words, that they would choose each other. They couldn't even admit to liking each other and go on a date, and now they were going to try to have a baby together? He must be dreaming, it was the only explanation. That, or insane.

Sadly, Harry was quite awake and perfectly sane, and the five minutes were up. Dumbledore rose once more to make one final announcement before calling the first name. "Obviously the task you have been set" he wrinkled his nose in distaste at calling the creation of life a 'task', "will require a certain degree of privacy. Therefore, each pair will share a private quarters. The pairings will be revealed on Friday, so that you all will have the weekend to adjust to your new situations. You will each receive a note with the location and details of your room, as well as a small information pamphlet that will hopefully clear up any other question you may have. I strongly suggest you keep this pamphlet, even if you feel the urge to discard it. If you have any further questions the pamphlet does not answer, you are welcome to go to any professor, including myself, to find the answers you need. And now, we shall begin."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Well...what do you think? I already have several chapters written. Reviews would be awesome!

Oh, and I am hoping to update with a new chapter every other week or quicker. I know how annoying it can be to wait so long for an update that you have to reread the whole story to remember what's going on!


	3. Chapter 2 Meet Your New Roommate

**AN:** Due to the quick response to my first chapter, my general excitement about publishing my first story, and seeing how short that first chapter seemed, I've decided to give you all chapter 2! Enjoy!

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 2 Meet Your New Roommate**

Harry's head was spinning. He couldn't believe it, he'd actually….

***

It all started while he was waiting with Ron and Hermione for each of their names to be called. He'd commented on how sad it was that Dean and Seamus would have to be separated when they were such a happy couple. At that Hermione _and_ Ron shot him disbelieving looks, before Hermione exasperatedly explained, "Don't you know Harry? All witches and wizards, as magical beings, are capable of carrying children, as well as siring them. Any two people in this room who wanted to pair together could!"

Harry stared open-mouthed for a moment, but then he felt a blush warming his face and looked away. Well, this changed things a bit, didn't it? Because Harry had been slowly coming to the realization, over the past year or so, that he was into guys. For a while he had thought he'd liked Ginny, but being with her just didn't feel right, the same way kissing Cho hadn't quite felt right. After he realized something was off with the girls, he also realized how often he noticed the guys around him, the way he surreptitiously looked them over…. And finally, one night after the DA meeting, a sexy Hufflepuff boy had stayed after to 'talk'. He had definitely been flirting, and Harry flirted right back (though self consciously). They ended up going on a few dates, but it didn't work out and they parted ways. But not before he and Harry kissed, and it was that kiss which was so much better than any he'd experienced before, that had felt right for a change, that had Harry blushing right now. Because he knew he would prefer to be paired with a bloke…and he'd never told Ron or Hermione about any of this.

Should he say something to them now? Before he could make a decision, Hermione was called, and there was no way he was having that conversation with only Ron. They sat quietly beside each other until Harry was called.

Madame Pomfrey examined him for 'physical fitness and fertility' as well as general health, before handing him a sheet of paper covered with questions. She indicated a curtained off area behind her where he could sit to answer the questions. "And if you need any help, dear, the Headmaster is just beyond the exit curtain, and you may ask him."

Harry headed behind the curtain with a nod. There were a bunch of questions about his personality, likes, dislikes, interests, etc. He answered carefully, hoping for a good match. Then he got to the preferences section. 'Preferred person'…he skipped that. 'Preferred gender'…he hesitated, but pulled together his Gryffindor courage to check 'male'. 'Preferred role/position'…he blushed. Merlin! He wasn't really sure, his experience was so limited. Blushing furiously, he closed his eyes and tried to imagine each scenario. He was surprised to find that the idea of being bottom really appealed to him, but then he realized what the implications of that position would be. He would be the one to get pregnant!

He sat there debating with himself for a good five minutes when Pomfrey called through the curtain. "Almost done in there Harry?"

"Er, yeah, I just need one more minute!" Moment of truth, he thought. He took a very deep breath before checking 'sub/bottom', then quickly folded the questionnaire and filed it into the awaiting box. "'Kay, I'm done!"

As he passed the exit curtain he caught Dumbledore's eyes twinkling away…

********************************************************************************

Yes, he'd actually chosen to be with another guy, to be _under_ another guy…he tried to ignore the way his stomach flipped at the thought. He had spent the week trying to figure out a way to tell his two best friends, but it never seemed like the right time.

In the mean time, throughout the week the meetings with the other years had taken place. From what he'd managed to gather, the other years' tasks were not as personally violating as the one the seventh years had been given. The sixth years would be trained in healing; the fifth years would be growing food to augment the supply; fourth years would be learning politics, economics, international relations, and the like; and the third through first years would all be advanced in their learning and training.

On Friday night, there was a buzz around Hogwarts, especially amongst the seventh years. Who would be paired with whom? Where would they live? Harry felt like he would be sick any minute now. Ron and Hermione shot him sympathetic looks – oh if only they knew! – and then with a soft 'pop' a stack of letters appeared on the common room table. In no time everyone had their letter, and gradually some began to open them. Harry watched as his best friends opened theirs before glancing at each other. Finally, Ron spoke up. "So, uh, wanna go see our room?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose we should." Harry had never seen Hermione so flustered before. "See you later Harry, good luck! You'll be fine!" And with that they were out the portrait hole and down the hall.

Harry waited until he was the only one in the room before he finally opened his envelope. A small letter fell out, along with the promised pamphlet. Glancing at the pamphlet made Harry nervous, so he turned his attention to the letter. His room was close to Dumbledore's office! What did that mean? Anxiously, he got up and headed to his new room. As he walked, he decided he better at least read the 'Parameters' list on the pamphlet.

_Even in this situation, rape is not condoned and will not be tolerated._ Well that was a relief at least. _The couple must make satisfactory progress towards reproduction. As such, the Ministry has set forth milestones which must be met, and will send a representative to see that they have been._ Harry's stomach dropped. He read on. _We understand that some time to become comfortable with your partner is necessary, so you will have one week in which to achieve your first kiss._ Uh oh, not good… _From there you will have two more weeks to consummate the partnership._ Harry stopped walking. That wasn't very many steps, or very much time. In three short weeks, he would no longer be a virgin. _Finally, a child should be conceived by the three month mark. Plan accordingly (see 'Getting Pregnant' section for more information)._

Harry finally realized he was just standing there staring into space, and forced himself to start walking again. Someone was waiting for him to show up. Whoever it was was probably just as nervous and freaked out as he was. Maybe they'd be a good match. Maybe they'd want to be together anyway.

He arrived at the portrait entrance to his room, and spoke the password provided in his letter. His jaw dropped open as soon as he entered the room. It wasn't large at all, and it was dominated by the medium sized bed in the corner, the _only_ bed. And it smelled amazing, like all the things Harry liked – fresh air, sunshine, a good home-cooked meal, and a light smell he couldn't identify that seemed undeniably masculine.

He was so caught up in the smell that for a moment he forgot to look for the other person in the room. That was quickly remedied as he heard someone exclaim "Potter!" Harry turned towards the chair in the corner from which the voice had come.

"Malfoy? What are you doing here?" Harry thought he might know the answer; he just didn't want to admit it.

"I should think it was quite obvious." He was smirking. Damn him!

"I – you –we can't, I mean, who would put us together? We hate each other!"

"You'll have to ask dear old Dumbledore about that one. In the mean time…" Malfoy suddenly moved across the room towards Harry, and Harry backed up as quickly as he could until he hit the wall with a soft 'oomph'. Malfoy came closer and affectively pinned Harry between him and the wall. Harry tried to put as much contempt into his expression as possible, but his heart was hammering furiously in his chest. Malfoy leaned slightly closer, and Harry gasped softly as he realized the source of the mysterious masculine scent was not the room, but Malfoy himself. The blonde continued to lean in until his mouth was at Harry's ear. Then he whispered, "You can sleep on the couch."

With that he moved away and plopped himself comfortably on the bed. Harry growled, but trudged over to the couch and plopped down as well. However, as soon as he lay in a 'going to sleep' type position he felt the couch send him away, almost like apparition. When he popped back into being, he found himself landing on top of his new roommate in the bed.

For a moment they just stared at each other. Then Malfoy unexpectedly flipped them so he was leaning over Harry. "Trying to jump me already, hmmm?"

"NO! No, I…the couch sent me hear when I tried to lay down on it!" One blonde eyebrow rose. "I'm serious Malfoy! Now get off of me!"

"You know, maybe there is something to this whole matchmaking thing. It's not unpleasant, having you under me."

Harry's eyes widened in shock and alarm. He tried to shove Malfoy off of him, but the Slytherin was stronger. "I said get off! It's in the rules! You can't force me to do anything!" The words escaped without Harry's permission, but they were out now for better or worse.

The blonde chuckled darkly. "The rules…never been a big fan of them myself. Come to think of it, neither have you…but we're just talking, _Harry_, I'm not doing anything to you. You're the one with his mind in the gutter."

Despite his words, the next minute he rolled away and Harry was free. He worked hard to hold in his sigh of relief. It was going to be a long night. Tomorrow morning, he would go talk to Dumbledore.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ooooo, Malfoy can be so evil, can't he?

Thanks to everyone who reviewed/put this story on alerts! This chapter is dedicated to you! Keep it coming!


	4. Chapter 3 Ultimatum

**AN: **Hello everyone! I'm back with two more chapters! That's right, two! My first several chapters are quite short, so I decided to post them two at a time until we get to the longer ones. So...enjoy!

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 3 Ultimatum**

"But sir, I…" The rest of Harry's sentence was cut off by Dumbledore.

"Harry, I assure you Mr. Malfoy is the best match for you. If the two of you try to set aside your past rivalry, I'm sure you'll find the situation much more tolerable." His blue eyes twinkled behind the half-moon spectacles, a slight smile twitching his mouth upward.

Harry sighed. "There's _nothing_ I can do to change this, to change your mind?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No, Harry, however you may come to me if you have any problems. As I am sure you have noticed, your new room is just a short distance away. Now, off you go. Enjoy your weekend!"

"…Thank you, sir. Goodbye." Harry mumbled sullenly before heading out of the office.

Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter a good match!? How was that possible? Maybe someone messed with their questionnaires. Maybe Malfoy put inaccurate answers on purpose just to mess with whoever got paired with him. But something like that wouldn't have gotten past Dumbledore, would it?

Harry didn't have much time to think, as he had already completed the short walk back to him room. He scowled, but went in to get ready for breakfast. The sooner he got to the Great Hall, the sooner he could talk to Ron and Hermione. Of course then he'd have to tell them everything…. He groaned at the thought of their reactions.

"What's the matter, Potter, miss me already?" Malfoy had apparently just woken up, and first on his priority list, it seemed, was to annoy the hell out of Harry.

"No, just wishing you would stay asleep forever. Either that or never speak to me or come near me again."

"Aw, is that any way to treat the soon-to-be father of your child?"

"You're not ever _touching_ me, Malfoy. The Ministry can go to hell!"

The blonde had stood from the bed and had begun to walk towards Harry. Since Harry was trying his hardest to ignore his infuriating roommate and control his temper at the same time, he didn't see the Slytherin move in behind him.

"_You_" Harry jumped at the unexpected proximity of the voice, "might not care what the Ministry will do to us if we don't cooperate, being the Golden Boy and all, but _I_ sure as hell don't want to find out!" He suddenly lunged for Harry, grabbing his wrists and pushing him against the wall, face first.

'This seems like it might become a habit.' Harry thought wildly. This was the second time Malfoy had trapped him against the wall in less than 24 hours.

Malfoy continued his rant in a fierce whisper. "I have already gotten on Voldemort's hit list by failing to kill Dumbledore. I can't afford to go against the Ministry as well. So whether you like it or not, _we_ are going to fuck until _you_ get pregnant. After that, we don't have to speak to each other, but you _will_ cooperate!"

"B-back off Malfoy!" Harry struggled against the blonde's hold.

"I'll let you go when you tell me you understand me and agree to cooperate!"

Harry's mind was working furiously. How could he get out of this? "You can't hold me here all day, so you might as well just let me go now."

That, apparently, was the wrong thing to say. In a blur of motion, Harry felt himself spin around before his back hit the wall. Malfoy was staring down at Harry, and the look on his face said 'I will hold you here as long as it takes.'

As they stared each other down, Harry thought he saw a flicker of – fear? – in Malfoy's grey eyes. Was he really afraid of what the Ministry might do to him? Either way, he needed to get out of there, so he tried for a compromise.

"I'll…_try_ to…see if we can find a way to make this work out okay for both of us."

Malfoy gave him a 'you better' look before slowly releasing his wrists and backing away.

*********************************************************************************

When Harry finally got to the Great Hall, a lot of people had already finished eating and left. Ron and Hermione were still there though, looking around anxiously. When they spotted him heading towards the table he saw relief in their faces. He plopped down next to Ron and grabbed some food quickly, before it all disappeared, even though he didn't really have much of an appetite at the moment.

"Harry! Are you okay? What took you so long? Where is your new room? Who'd you get paired with? Why aren't you eating?" Hermione cried all in one breath.

"Geeze, Hermione, give him a second! And remember to breathe," said Ron.

After a few moments of silence, they both gave him an expectant look, and he swallowed the piece of toast he'd been chewing, nervously. "Well, er, you'll never guess…"

"Come on, mate, out with it! Is she pretty, nice, tolerable, horrible…let's hear it!" Ron chipped in.

"I guess maybe there's something I should tell you guys first, I…"

"Oh my God, Harry! What happened to your wrist?" Hermione narrowed her eyes at the injury, as if it had personally insulted her.

"I'll get to that part, just hold on a-"

"Did your partner do that to you? Blimey, Harry, is she one of those muscle women or something?" asked Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, because there are so many muscle women at Hogwarts!"

"You never know! It could be hard to tell under the school robes…"

Harry was flicking his eyes back and forth between them as they argued, wondering how he'd ever manage to break the news when they were like this.

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, Draco Malfoy chose that moment to stroll into the Great Hall, heading straight for the trio. Harry clenched his fists. Why couldn't he just leave Harry alone? It was bad enough they had to share a room now.

"What do _you_ want Malfoy?" Ron growled.

The Slytherin smirked. "I do hope the two of you are trying to convince him to cooperate."

"Cooperate with what?"

He looked at Harry. "You didn't tell them yet?" Harry shook his head, and was surprised when Malfoy only said, "See if you can convince him," and then walked away.

Hermione turned to Harry. "What was he talking about?"

Harry took a deep breath and said, "He's the one I got paired with."

*********************************************************************************

An hour had passed, and the trio had moved their conversation to Ron and Hermione's new room near the library. Harry explained everything from the beginning, only leaving out a few embarrassing and personal details. To Harry's relief, his friends were very supportive and understanding, though still quite surprised. They were hurt that Harry didn't tell them what was going on all along, but forgave him.

In terms of the 'Malfoy Situation', the two had radically different opinions. On the one hand, Ron was adamant that Harry find a way out of this.

"I mean seriously, mate, if it were _anybody_ else, well anybody else that was also not in Slytherin, then I'd say give it a try. But this is _Malfoy_."

"I know, Ron, but Dumbledore insists that there is no way out of this. Merlin, I'm going to have _his_ baby?" Harry hid his head in his hands and tried to forget the thought, but it wouldn't go no matter what he did.

Hermione had a slightly more positive opinion; at least it was positive according to her. "Dumbledore said the two of you were compatible, right? So maybe if you just get to know each other a little bit you'll realize that it isn't so bad!" It was just like Hermione to conclude it would be okay if Dumbledore said so.

They were all quiet for a moment. The silence was broken by the grumbling of Ron's stomach. Harry and Hermione exchanged an amused glance and Ron said, "Hey, I can't help it! I'm hungry!"

So they headed to the Great Hall for lunch. Harry hadn't really seen anyone at breakfast since he arrived so late, so at lunch he caught up with everyone. He found out that Dean and Seamus were paired, as well as Neville and Susan Bones from Hufflepuff, Lavender and a Ravenclaw Harry didn't know, and Parvati and Theodore Nott from Slytherin. Most seemed at least okay with their partners. Whenever anyone asked Harry who his partner was, he avoided answering. He knew it would get out eventually, but….

**********************************************************************************

After lunch the trio went to the library to do homework, and later returned to the Great Hall for dinner. When they finished eating they went their separate ways. One of the requirements outlined in 'The Pamphlet' was a daily session of time spent alone in the room with ones' partner after dinner, lasting at least two hours. Depending on how long it took the students to eat, that generally didn't leave much time between 'Bonding Time' and curfew. They were even allowed to ask house elves to bring them library books so they could stay in their rooms.

And so Harry made his way back to the room he shared with Malfoy. As soon as he walked in, the blonde started talking.

"Here's the deal, Potter. You can ignore me all week, and I will leave you alone. I don't care as long as we meet the Ministry's deadline. So, do you want to get it over with now, or wait until the last minute?"

It took Harry a moment to recover from his surprise before he said "I'm not kissing you, Malfoy."

"Fine, have it your way. The Ministry people will be here Saturday morning, so Friday night it is." And with that he turned away and completely ignored Harry as promised.

'This isn't so bad.' Harry thought. Until Friday, of course.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

OOOOO, next chapter, quick! Go!


	5. Chapter 4 More Than a Minute

**Chapter 4 More Than A Minute**

'Time has a way of moving the fastest just when you don't want it to' Harry thought to himself at dinner on Friday. He'd barely eaten anything, and had taken to pushing his food around in circles on his plate. To their credit, Ron and Hermione made dinner drag on as long as possible before finally pushing away from the table and bidding Harry good night and, more quietly, good luck.

Harry nodded to them as they walked away, catching Hermione's concerned look and Ron's disgusted one. Harry knew Ron wasn't disgusted with him, but with what he was being forced into. As good as it felt to have the support of his friends, the bubble of anxiety that had grown in the pit of Harry's stomach over the week didn't ease in the least.

As he headed out of the Great Hall, Harry noticed that Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. That meant he was most likely waiting in their room at that very moment. The bubble in his stomach seemed to grow heavier with every step Harry took towards his room, and he had to force himself to keep going.

When he finally reached the door he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. 'You can do this' he told himself, though it didn't really help. As he spoke the password, "compromise", he felt the last threads of his composure stretch to their limits.

He tentatively stepped into the room, his eyes flicking around rapidly in search of another's presence. They detected nothing. Where was Malfoy?

Harry stood there in confusion for a minute before shrugging and heading to the bathroom. If Malfoy wasn't there, he might as well pee. While he was in there, though, he heard the muffled thud of the portrait closing. His heart speed up so suddenly and completely that for one wild moment Harry was sure it would race right out of his chest.

Harry put his ear to the door, listening and hoping Malfoy would just leave, but that quickly became impossible as Malfoy called out, "Potter! I know you're in there, so you might as well just come out already."

He opened the door slowly, his eyes locking with Malfoy's as soon as he was in sight. Harry looked away quickly, and he could already feel a blush creeping up his cheeks. "It's Friday night," he whispered dejectedly.

"I'm well aware of that, Potter." The git was smirking, as usual, and Harry wanted nothing more than to hex the smirk right off of his face.

A moment of uncomfortable silence followed, and Harry felt compelled to break it. "Uhh…" Right…brilliant.

Malfoy took a step forward, towards Harry. Harry stepped back. The blonde advanced several more steps. Harry managed to hold his ground for the first few, but suddenly Malfoy just seemed _way_ too close, so he stepped back a few more paces. That's when Harry felt his back hit the wall, _again_. 'Shit…'

Malfoy closed the gap between them, and Harry was quite trapped. Then he remembered his wand, and tried to reach for it slowly while struggling to continue to meet Malfoy's gaze.

He'd never seen the Slytherin's eyes this close up before, but now Harry could see that they were a cool grey around the pupil and a warmer grey around the outside, as if they were in the process of melting.

When Harry's hand reached his wand, he fought off the grin that wanted to parade across his face. But his success was short lived, as Malfoy grabbed his wrist in a lighting quick move, took Harry's wand, and tossed it to the bed. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"I'm so shocked, Potter. Here I was thinking you were an honorable Gryffindor that kept his promises, only to find you're trying to back out of the deal we made." Malfoy narrowed his eyes as well. "That's no way to start this relationship."

Harry growled. "Whatever, Malfoy, just let me go…and we-we can talk a-about this."

"Talk? We're beyond the point of talking. The Ministry official will be here tomorrow morning. We're doing this, _now_." Malfoy punctuated his point by pushing Harry a bit harder into the wall.

"F-fine, just a quick peck so the 'big bad Ministry' doesn't get us, then you stay away from me!"

"Merlin, Potter, did you read _any_ of The Pamphlet? 'Just a quick peck', honestly…"

"I read some of it!" Harry exclaimed indignantly. "What're you on about, Malfoy?"

"_The first kiss must have a duration not less than one minute. Furthermore, both participants must be appropriately engaged in the kiss_" Malfoy quoted.

Harry paused to think. "How will the Ministry even know if we comply with the stupid pamphlet anyway?!" he asked triumphantly. He was sure he'd found a way out.

Malfoy gave him a dark look. "_Upon entrance to your new quarters, a charm will be activated that will monitor your activities and assure cooperation_."

"You're kidding," Harry blurted. How had he missed that?

Malfoy just stared at him unwaveringly. Harry swallowed. Time seemed to completely stop for a moment, before retuning in slow motion.

Malfoy leaned his head down, bringing their lips closer and closer. When there was only a breath between their mouths, Malfoy paused, inhaling slowly.

Harry realized he'd been holding his breath, and he let it out before inhaling slowly as well. Malfoy moved his head ever so slightly, and their lips met briefly.

That was when time suddenly sped up. Malfoy's lips descended on Harry's once, twice, three times. On the third time they remained, pressing firmly.

A second later Harry shocked them both, pressing back and then moving his hands to Malfoy's waist. Malfoy responded by pressing their bodies closer together, further trapping Harry against the wall.

Harry gasped, and Malfoy took the opportunity to slide his tongue into the opened mouth. For a moment Harry froze. Malfoy used his tongue to seek out Harry's, though, and gradually Harry's mind forgot why it was objecting to something that felt so damn good.

As their mouths moved together time passed, and too soon they needed to come up for air. When they broke apart panting, neither moved to continue the kiss. Neither moved away either. They just looked at each other, eyes wide.

Harry's mind was racing. 'That was…oh God, that was _hot_! What's wrong with me, this is Malfoy?! I hate him. Don't I? Of course I do! He's Malfoy! That was just…hormones or something. But his mouth…he tasted…'

He looked up at the blonde still leaning over him and tried to put together a coherent sentence. He managed, "Was that more than a minute?" That was all he could muster.

A moment passed and then Malfoy nodded. At first he didn't move away, but when Harry was about to say something Malfoy stepped back and headed towards the bathroom. Before closing the door he looked straight into Harry's eyes and practically purred, "I look forward to two weeks from now."

Before Harry fully gained control and reminded himself for the umpteenth time that it was _Malfoy_, he thought 'Me too.'

**********************************************************************************

As soon as Harry woke up on Saturday, the events of the previous evening came flooding back to him. Luckily, he and Malfoy had worked out a system, in the first few nights in their new room, of sharing the bed while still having some personal space.

Harry just lay there for a moment trying to make sense of it all. When he found he couldn't, he got up to head to the bathroom. As he walked he waved his wand to check the time.

A jolt went through him when he saw that it was already 9:00. The Ministry official began his rounds of the seventh year couples at exactly 9:00. It seemed they were fortunate enough not to have been at the top of the list, but Harry didn't know how long that fortune would hold.

"Malfoy, get up! Come on, it's 9 already!" Harry shook his roommate's arm.

Malfoy sat up quickly, took a moment to reacquaint himself with wakefulness, and then jumped from the bed. The two boys dashed around the room getting ready. When they were both cleaned up and dressed they sat on the couch to wait.

When five minutes passed in silence and the Ministry rep still hadn't shown, Malfoy spoke. "We're not making the same deal for the next two weeks as we had for this one. I'm quite sure neither of us would like to see the outcome of that."

"That's great, Malfoy." Harry said sarcastically. "Why are you bringing it up now?"

"Because you're a hard-headed idiot, and if I'm going to get you in bed in less than two weeks…let's just say I need all the time I've got."

"You think you might have trouble? When you're so endearing!?" Harry mentally rolled his eyes. "What kind of arrangement _are_ we going to have then?"

Before Malfoy could reply, there was a knock at the door. "I am a representative of the Ministry. May I enter?"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So now our boys have kissed, however reluctantly...

Let me know what you think! Your excitement really helps motivate me to write!


	6. Chapter 5 Avoidance

**AN: Hello readers! I'm back! Sorry for the longer-than-usual wait...I am currently in the middle of finals so life is crazy busy. Anyway...enjoy!**

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Chapter 5 Avoidance**

A nondescript, official looking man entered the room. "Good morning, boys." His smile seemed strained to Harry.

The man pulled out his wand, cast a nonverbal spell, and then nodded. "Everything seems to be in order. See you in two weeks." He turned and left the room.

"That's it?" Harry wondered.

Malfoy shrugged and stood. "What did you expect, Potter, an interrogation?"

"Well, it's just that usually with the Ministry you can't get rid of them. It's like Ministry workers are trained to be annoying or something." Harry stood and grabbed his bag.

As he headed towards the door Malfoy called to him, "What, no goodbye kiss?"

***************************************************************************************************

Malfoy was such a snarky bastard. 'Goodbye kiss, my ass. He won't be getting _any_ kisses from me with that attitude!'

Harry paused in his thoughts. 'Wait, I mean he won't get any kisses from me, period." He punctuated the thought with a nod. Still, a tiny, vindictive voice in his head delighted in repeatedly reminding him of how much he had enjoyed kissing the blonde. It was this unavoidable fact that bothered him more than anything.

By the time Harry sat down for breakfast he had managed to throw off some of his annoyance and frustration. Nevertheless, his best friends picked up on his mood almost immediately and tried to figure out what was wrong.

Hermione tried first. "Harry, is something bothering you?"

When Harry just shrugged and continued to stab at his food rather more violently than was necessary, Ron spoke up. "Is it that git you've been paired with, mate? What did he do now?"

Harry was still trying to keep the majority of Hogwarts from finding out about his pairing with the Slytherin, and he was just lucky Ron hadn't mentioned Malfoy by name. "Yeah. Listen, can we talk about this _later_?"

"Of course, you can come back to our room with us and we can talk. Okay?" Hermione managed to keep most of the concern and alarm out of her voice, and Harry was grateful.

He forced himself to take a bite of food as he nodded his assent.

Ron and Hermione continued to shoot worried glances Harry's way throughout the rest of the meal, and Harry was relieved when they finally headed out of the Great Hall to their room.

Harry dropped onto the couch with a sigh. Ron and Hermione sat beside each other on the edge of the bed facing him. "Alright Harry, what's wrong?"

"Malfoy is a bastard, that's what!" Harry stood up and began pacing back and forth.

Hermione suddenly gasped. "Of course! Last night you had to – you and Malfoy, um, well…did you kiss?"

Harry was bizarrely reminded of his fifth year when Hermione had questioned him after his first kiss with Cho. "…Yeah."

The room rang with silence until Ron finally broke it. "At least it's over with now, right?" It seemed like he was trying to simultaneously lighten the mood and change the subject.

Hermione, however, wasn't about to leave it at that. She wanted details. "How was it?"

"What!" Ron stared at Hermione like she'd grown an extra head. "Why would you ask something like that? Obviously it was disgusting and that's why Harry is in such a bad mood." He looked to Harry for confirmation.

Harry felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he recalled just how not disgusting kissing Malfoy had been. "Well, actually…" Should he tell them the truth? After all, they were his best friends. But admitting to liking anything about Malfoy…he wasn't sure he could bear the humiliation of it on top of everything else. He decided he'd wait and see how things between him and Malfoy developed before he admitted anything to his friends.

"Yeah, that and the git has decided to lord it over me. He actually had the nerve to ask me for a 'goodbye kiss'!" It was partly true anyway.

"Gross, mate! Fancy a fly to get your mind off things?" Bless Ron for his ability to change subjects like you change your underwear. By the slight narrowing of Hermione's eyes, she didn't quite agree.

Harry turned to the bushy haired girl. "C'mon Hermione, take pity on me! I've just been through an ordeal!" Harry let his voice take on a wounded tone. "Besides, it looks like a beautiful day and we could all use some fresh air to clear our minds, don't you think?"

Hermione's frown gradually turned into a grin throughout Harry's speech. "Oh, alright! The fresh air _would_ help clear our minds and make our studying more efficient, I suppose."

Harry and Ron whooped in celebration of Hermione's acquiescence, and she muttered what sounded a lot like 'Boys!' under her breath while gathering together some books to bring outside.

****************************************************************************************

The day passed by pleasantly, despite all the homework Hermione forced them to work on. In Harry's opinion, anything that gave him an excuse to stay away from his room and Malfoy was a good thing. All too soon it was dinner time. Throughout the meal Harry grew more apprehensive, but he worked hard not to show it. When all the deserts disappeared, Harry exchanged a quick goodbye with his friends and headed to his room.

When he entered, Malfoy was sitting on the couch, waiting for Harry. The blonde turned towards the portrait when he heard it open. He didn't give Harry a chance to escape. "We need to talk. Now."

"Okay…" Harry cautiously approached the couch, sitting as far from Malfoy as he could manage.

Malfoy fixed him with an intense stare. "What needs to happen in order for you to cooperate and meet our next deadline?"

'Deadline…well that was a delicate was to refer to the loss of his virginity to his long-time rival' Harry thought dryly. "Why are you even asking me? It's not like you _care_. As long as _you _get what _you_ need…."

"You think this is about _me_?" He made a sort of strangled growling noise in his throat.

"What else would it be about…Malfoy?" Harry's sentence was interrupted by his roommate's abrupt departure to the bathroom, punctuated by the slamming of the door. Harry jumped slightly at the sound.

'Why do I feel like I just missed something?' Why had Malfoy gotten so mad? It was a commonly known fact that the Malfoy heir was self-centered. Harry stood with a slight shrug and decided to go to bed early in hopes of avoiding further confrontation, at least for the night.

***************************************************************************************

Malfoy was ignoring Harry, completely and without variance. Normally such an occurrence would have Harry jumping for joy. But he had a pit of dread growing steadily in his stomach, because it was Monday and there were now only four days until the most terrifying deadline of his life. And the worst part of all was that he couldn't talk to Ron and Hermione about it. Every time he tried, the words just wouldn't come. This left him feeling more alone than he had felt since the end of his fifth year when Sirius had died and he had learned about the prophesy.

Harry had been arguing back and forth with himself all day, missing the majority of his lessons and therefore earning many dark glances from Hermione. It didn't matter, though, in comparison to the debate that had been raging in his head. Should he leave things as they were and face the consequences on Friday? The scenario made him swallow uncomfortably. Or should he try to talk to Malfoy and mend whatever…well whatever it was that needed mending. He couldn't imagine he had actually _hurt_ Malfoy in some way. Was that even possible?

It was in his afternoon Transfiguration class that he finally made a decision. He would talk to Malfoy and try to make things better between them. They could at least work towards a civil relationship, right?

Harry was pulled from his thoughts by a sharp whisper from his left. "Harry! Pay attention!"

He turned slightly towards Hermione, and when McGonagall's back was turned he whispered back, "Sorry, I've just got some stuff on my mind. I'll try, okay?"

Hermione's expression softened at Harry's honesty. "Okay, Harry".

***************************************************************************************

When Harry walked into his room, Malfoy studiously ignored him as had become the norm in the past week. Harry took a deep breath to calm his nerves and cleared his throat self-consciously. "Malfoy? Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"It doesn't seem that I can stop you." Malfoy drawled.

Harry figured that was the closest thing to agreement he was going to get. "I wanted to…apologize for whatever it was I said that upset you. And for rejecting your offer when you were trying to find a way to make this work okay for the both of us."

When he received no response, Harry continued, "It was just, the way you said it…I don't suppose you've thought about this whole situation from my position?"

"Have you thought about it from mine?" The unexpected question stunned Harry for a moment. Had he ever considered how Malfoy might view the situation?

"No, I don't suppose I have" he admitted, "but I think my situation leaves me a bit more…vulnerable. I don't – I mean, I've never, um…" he paused to get control of himself. "I'm a virgin."

Silence. Malfoy did not say anything for what felt like an eternity to Harry. Finally, he spoke. "I will accept your apology if you will answer my question."

"What question?" Had Malfoy asked one?

"The one I asked you last week that got you so freaked out. What do you need in order for this to happen?" Malfoy looked at Harry expectantly, curiosity shining through his melty grey eyes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ooooo, time is running out!


	7. Chapter 6 Boundaries

**Chapter 6 Boundaries**

Harry knew he had to answer. But he really _really_ didn't want to. The answer in and of itself was somewhat embarrassing, and to have to confess fears to Malfoy that he had barely acknowledged to himself…he shivered at the thought. But he had already decided that making some kind of compromise was better than the alternative, and sometimes compromise was uncomfortable and required sacrifice.

"If you breathe a word of what I say to _anyone_, I will make you pay. Do you understand me?" Harry's tone was deadly serious.

When Malfoy nodded, Harry continued slowly, "I'm…very inexperienced with this sort of thing, and I only recently came to terms with the fact that I am gay. And I guess…I guess I'm…" he sighed. This was so hard! He finished his sentence with a barely audible word, "…afraid."

Malfoy still didn't speak, so Harry figured that meant he should continue. "In order for me to feel…okay…about the situation, I need to able to trust you. At least enough to be sure you won't…you know, hurt me." His cheeks flushed pink. "Right now the only thing I trust about you is that you're not a killer."

The last statement finally got a reaction out of Malfoy. "How can you be so sure? For all you know I could have killed a dozen people."

'Oh, well _that's_ helpful' Harry thought sarcastically. "Except that you couldn't," he said. "You're not a killer; I've seen proof with my own eyes." When Malfoy's look remained confused and skeptical, Harry added, "That night, on the Astronomy Tower."

Malfoy's eyes widened as he sputtered, "You – but…how?"

"I was with Dumbledore that night," Harry explained. "We were coming back from…somewhere…and when we saw the dark mark we rushed to the castle. When he realized someone was coming he told me to hide under my invisibility cloak. He immobilized me before I even realized what was happening. I saw everything. Even if he hadn't offered you sanctuary, you wouldn't have killed him." He shrugged. "You aren't a killer."

Malfoy stared at him in shock for a long moment. When he'd absorbed the new information, he spoke, but not words Harry had been expecting. No questions about where he'd been with Dumbledore or why he hadn't spread the story about Malfoy to the whole school by now. No, he said, "I think I might have an idea. To help you trust me. At least enough for our purposes."

Draco Malfoy, Harry decided, was still more of a mystery to him than he had realized. "Okay…what is it?" If Malfoy could be civil, so could he. Hermione would be so proud. If he ever told her.

"Don't freak out again. I think we should…build up to sex with smaller steps. We'll set boundaries ahead of time, and you'll learn to trust me when I don't cross those boundaries. We can start small and work our way up. If we plan it right, well…four days is still nowhere near enough, but that's what we have. At least we'll finally have something to do during our 'Bonding Time' other than sit in silence and stare at textbooks." His eyes moved over Harry's body suggestively.

Harry fought to not squirm under Malfoy's intense gaze. It _did_ sound like a pretty good plan, aside from the part where he still had no choice but to be with Malfoy. What shocked Harry the most was that Malfoy of all people would come up with such a compromise…that he'd even bothered to consider making Harry more comfortable. Maybe there was more decency in Malfoy, beyond not being a killer. "…Okay."

"Okay?" Malfoy raised his eyebrows as if shocked that Harry had agreed with a minimum of fuss. "Okay," he stated more firmly. "Let's get started then." He gestured for Harry to join him on the couch.

"N-now?" Harry swallowed thickly.

"I don't see why not," Malfoy stated coolly. "We don't have any time to waste. Come on, Potter. What's the problem now?"

"I…" Harry's heartbeat was starting to pick up. He felt utterly ridiculous for being so nervous around Malfoy. He just needed to bite the bullet and do it. Well, maybe that wasn't the best choice of words, but…he needed to suck it up. No! That was even worse. Harry shook his head slightly, trying to clear it of his very unhelpful thoughts. "I guess there isn't one." He slowly approached the couch and sat.

"Relax, Potter, I'm not going to attack you." Malfoy rolled his eyes as Harry's posture remained tense. "Turn to face me."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Harry turned. He tried to keep his breathing as even as possible. He was proud to note how successfully he was managing.

Malfoy fixed him with an unwavering look. "Kissing. Some non-intimate touching outside of clothes. Is that good with you?"

'He's being so matter-of-fact about this, I could choke him!' Harry thought. But there was a faint glimmer of something…Harry could have sworn he saw it slip though Malfoy's cool expression. Before he'd even really managed to notice it, though, it was gone. He wasn't sure he could trust himself to speak, so he nodded.

As Malfoy leaned toward him, Harry instinctively leaned back. He didn't get far before his back was resting against the side of the couch. Malfoy braced his arms on either side of Harry's head.

"I guess I'll just have to _make_ you relax." The aggression in Malfoy's voice made Harry even more nervous, but that didn't last for long. As soon as their lips met, something seemed to snap inside Harry. Malfoy's mouth was hungry and demanding against his and their rivalry was reignited in an unexpected way as their lips moved together. The kiss quickly sped up, becoming heated and passionate. Harry found himself dumping all of his pent-up frustration, stress, anxiety, and anger into kissing Malfoy as fiercely as possible.

The more Harry pushed the more force he got back from Malfoy. It seemed the blonde was determined to keep up with Harry in this one thing, if nothing else. Harry continued to pour his excess emotions into the kiss, siphoning them off. Malfoy used his whole body to press Harry into the couch.

Through it all their mouths moved frantically against one another. But when Harry felt the stream of his emotions slow, he began to relax and the kiss slowed as well. Malfoy didn't lessen the weight of his body pressing against Harry's, but as Harry relaxed that weight created a completely different feeling. It was a good feeling, too.

Harry felt bizarrely sheltered in Malfoy's embrace. Weighed down and surrounded, completely trapped, somehow translated into protected in Harry's slightly fuzzy brain. And wasn't _that_ a crazy thought, Malfoy protecting him.

Harry grew comfortable with the kiss more quickly than he thought he would have, in part thanks to his slight arousal. Though he was loath to admit it, making out with Malfoy was one of the most pleasurable experiences of his life…wasn't that _humiliating_? But he forgot his humiliation as Malfoy's hands began a slow progression down his sides and to his hips.

A sigh escaped Harry's lips at the unexpectedly gentle caress. Malfoy began kissing and sucking at Harry's exposed neck while simultaneously sliding his hands up and down the length of his body, stopping every so often to grasp his hips and thighs. Harry felt a sudden instinctual need to return some of the attentions he was receiving so he reached up and placed his hands on Malfoy's back. He could feel powerful muscles moving under a thin shirt.

He let his hands roam the body above him in a tentative and absentminded motion. As Malfoy continued to explore Harry's neck with his mouth he discovered a sensitive spot between the side and back of his neck where it met his shoulder. Harry couldn't stop a soft moan from escaping his throat. Fortunately it didn't much matter, as Malfoy decided to move back to kissing Harry's mouth.

Their lips and tongues continued to move together and their hands continued to explore each other's bodies. Gradually the kissing slowed; Harry felt the weight of Malfoy's body leave him and he opened his eyes. The blonde was sitting on the end of the couch opposite Harry, breathing labored, face flushed, hair mussed. Harry's immediate thought was that Malfoy looked bloody _sexy_ like that. His next thought was reserved for wondering why Malfoy had chosen to end their little snogging session. It was obvious they had both enjoyed it.

Harry stretched as he realized how stiff his muscles were and casually cast a tempus charm. His eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw the time. He and Malfoy had been at it for over an _hour_! How did that happen? Where had the time gone? Harry felt dizzy as he tried to quickly review his recent activities and figure out what exactly had taken up so much time. It became quite obvious that he'd lost himself in Malfoy's embrace. That was the blatant truth of the matter. No getting around it.

When Harry's head had cleared enough for him to remember why all this had started in the first place, he had to admit that so far Malfoy's plan was a success. As promised, there was only kissing and non-intimate touching outside of their clothes. He recalled the bizarre sensation of feeling protected in Malfoy's arms and wasn't able to prevent a small shiver due to the loss of contact. It seemed he might be able to trust the blonde after all…

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yay! Finally some action! I suppose this is a bit of a cliff-hanger... Let me know what you think!

I'll try to update sooner this time...once I am home for the summer it will be easier for me to keep up with the story.


	8. Chapter 7 Deadline

**AN: Hello readers! I just want to take a moment to say thanks for reading...I felt a bit insecure posting my first fic, so your support means a lot to me! It might take a little longer than usual for the next update, but I promise it will come...I just need some time to gather my thoughts and re-focus on the story.**

**WARNING: This chapter contains explicit sexual content! (I hate to do this and spoil whatever amount of surprise there might have been, but I figure better safe than sorry o_O )**

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 7 Deadline**

As much as Harry hated to admit it, Malfoy was right. Four days was a pitifully insufficient amount of time to become comfortable enough to have sex with someone; especially when that someone was your long time rival.

The first night, Monday, had gone surprisingly well, which had been encouraging. Tuesday night had been fairly successful as well, but Harry wouldn't agree to more than snogging and outside-of-the-clothes touching, and neither of them had pushed the touching aspect to its limits. Wednesday had even less progress, only going a bit further than Tuesday had but managing to leave both boys painfully hard…and unsatisfied. Harry was pretty sure the shower Malfoy had taken afterwards had been a cold one.

Now it was Thursday night, and Harry was feeling torn. On the one hand, logic was telling him it was better to go as far as he could handle tonight to make tomorrow easier. On the other hand, a much larger and more convincing part of him was telling him it was too late to make any difference now and that he might as well have one last night of peace. The latter was currently winning by a long way. Surprisingly, Malfoy wasn't fighting him on it and in fact seemed quite preoccupied.

Harry made a tentative offer of someone to talk to. "Er, Malfoy…is something wrong?" The blonde didn't even look at Harry as he shook his head and sat at his desk to do some last minute homework.

Harry shrugged half-heartedly and headed to his desk as well. They worked in silence for a while. Malfoy's voice as it broke the silence made Harry jump slightly in surprise.

"My parents," was all he said. He shook his head again and turned back to his work. The next words were spoken so softly that Harry wasn't sure if he was meant to hear them or not, but he did. "I don't know if they're safe, if they're even alive…"

*******************************************************************************

Harry's thoughts were drifting when a voice finally managed to break through. "…and anyway, at least we're all going through the same thing! Harry? Harry, are you listening? I'm trying to help!" Hermione seemed nearly hysterical. Ron reached out a tentative hand to rest on her upper arm. When she didn't pull away from the touch he rubbed it soothingly and she gave him a small, thankful smile.

Harry smiled at Hermione in gratitude. "I know you're trying to help, Hermione, but I don't think there's anything you can do to make this better. I've just got to face it, deal with it, and move on." If only the words he spoke matched his thoughts.

Harry was freaking out. It was Friday. They were having dinner in Ron and Hermione's room as a special favor from Dobby. Not that Harry was managing to eat all that much. Every time his mind ventured to what would be happening that evening, his stomach clenched in anxiety and his heart thumped irregularly in his chest. And the more he tried not to think of it, the more he inevitably did. It was getting to the point where he couldn't take the suspense anymore and he figured maybe it would be better to just get it over with. Besides, dinner time was almost at an end. So why was it suddenly so hard to stand up?

"Erm, guys? I think…" he sighed gustily. "I better go." His voice sounded dejected and scared even to his own ears. Suddenly he wanted to get away from Ron and Hermione as fast as possible, and that gave him the extra help he needed to walk out the door.

As he walked towards his room he became progressively more nervous. He tried to expel all thoughts from his head and leave only the motion of his body, the sound of his footsteps, the whoosh of his breath. It did help calm him, but only a little. It got him to his room, at least.

As he faced the door, the password he spoke ("Compromise") took on a whole other meaning in the current context. Harry was quite sure this night would hold one of the biggest compromises of his life. The portrait opened, and he stepped through. There was a soft 'thump' as the portrait closed, then…_silence_.

For a moment Harry listened to his own breathing as he looked around the room. 'How bizarre,' he thought, 'it looks the same as it always does. It seems like it should look different…'

His thoughts were interrupted by the clearing of a throat by the entry to the bathroom. Malfoy. Or perhaps, in light of what they were about to do, he should start thinking of him as Draco…

Malfoy's voice cut the silence. "Are you ready?" He gazed steadily at Harry. But while there was confidence, there was also cautiousness. Though his words were blunt, his delivery lacked excessive harshness. When Harry didn't respond, Malfoy took a step towards him. Harry was frozen to the spot. Malfoy sighed. "Come sit down on the edge of the bed." He turned and walked towards the bed, clearly expecting Harry to follow.

Harry summoned his courage and did just that. He sat down awkwardly next to the blonde and waited.

Malfoy finally spoke again. "I can't tell you it won't hurt at all, because it will. But…I won't hurt you on purpose. I'll be careful."

Harry nodded when he realized that Malfoy's words were the equivalent of the 'promises' he'd been making to set the boundaries for each of their encounters. He was surprised to find that while a part of him still distrusted the other boy greatly, there was a part of him that believed Malfoy's promise.

"Look at me." The command was sudden and unexpected, but Harry obeyed, not knowing what else there was to do at that point. As his eyes locked with Malfoy's, he was surprised to notice they seemed faintly blue, like the sky just after dawn on a slightly overcast day. He blinked, and when his eyes opened Malfoy's face had moved closer. Without warning, the blonde leaned in and began kissing Harry. Having 'practiced' snogging quite a bit in the last couple days, this felt slightly familiar and helped him relax. After a few minutes they broke apart.

Malfoy stood, and Harry followed suit, not knowing what to expect. "Take off your clothes."

Harry stomach jumped at the command, and his insides squirmed. Malfoy began to remove his shoes and socks. Harry slapped himself mentally and reminded himself that he could get through this, even if his breathing had become quite shallow. He leaned down to remove his footwear as well. When he straightened up, Malfoy was dropping his shirt to the floor and beginning to undo his pants. As Harry took off his shirt as well, he couldn't help but admire Malfoy's body and feel ashamed to know he was the cause of the scar that slashed across the beautiful torso. As Malfoy's pants fell to the floor, Harry was able to see where the scar ended, on Malfoy's hip. Such observations quickly left his mind, however, as his eyes took in the rest of the blonde, now clad only in boxers.

He felt the blood begin to rush to various regions of his body, primarily up to his face and down to…well he really didn't want to think about that. Swallowing thickly, he undid the closures on his pants and let them fall to the floor. Malfoy's gaze was a physical presence as it swept over Harry's body.

"Get onto the bed," Malfoy directed, voice slightly husky. Harry tried taking a few deep breaths without being obvious about it, but it proved too difficult so he gave up the attempt entirely and climbed shakily onto the bed. He sat awkwardly in the middle, legs stretched out in front of him. Malfoy climbed on after him, his movements quick and graceful. He crawled purposefully toward Harry, and Harry automatically leaned back. As Malfoy leaned over him, Harry gradually lowered himself on his arms until he realized he was completely lying down. As Malfoy's weight rested more fully on him, Harry felt his arousal grow. Seeds of anticipation were planted.

Malfoy braced his arms on either side of Harry's head and their mouths reunited. Their lips moved together in a kiss full of tension. Malfoy unexpectedly rubbed their bodies together, causing Harry's mouth to open in surprise. It was exactly the reaction the blonde was looking for, and he wasted no time in slipping his tongue into the awaiting mouth. Harry responded out of instinct and habit, moving his tongue against Malfoy's in a way that made him shiver with pleasure.

When their mouths broke apart, Malfoy moved to kiss Harry's shoulder and neck. When he applied pressure to the sensitive spot he had discovered on the curve of Harry's neck, Harry moaned loudly. It felt so good he even forgot to be embarrassed.

Malfoy alternated between placing soft, open-mouthed kisses on Harry's shoulder and upper chest and applying a sudden, tantalizing pressure to the sensitive spot on his neck. As he repeated this pattern, he moved his hands down Harry's sides, and Harry was so lost in the pleasure that at first he didn't realize Malfoy was slowly removing his boxers.

Just as he began to tense up again, Malfoy unexpectedly bit down on the spot on Harry's neck, causing him to arch his back and release a pleasured groan. This sufficiently distracted him from the fact that not only his boxers, but Malfoy's as well, were now gone.

Of course he quickly realized that was the case when all the sensations suddenly stopped and he heard Malfoy whisper a summoning charm. By the time Harry had put together the fact that Malfoy had summoned a bottle and momentarily tipped it towards his hand, Harry felt a pressure at his entrance and gasped in surprise.

Malfoy spoke for the first time in what had felt like forever. "You have to try to relax, Potter. The less tense you are, the less it will hurt." When Harry remained unresponsive, Malfoy rolled his eyes and leaned towards Harry's face to begin kissing him again.

For a few minutes all they did was kiss heatedly. Without breaking the kiss, Malfoy again pressed a finger to Harry's entrance. As he began to push it in slowly, Harry let out a small pained sound. He tried to ignore the sensations of his lower body for the time being and focus on kissing.

Gradually he was able to relax around the first finger, and that was when Malfoy added a second. He pushed the fingers in a little faster this time, and Harry couldn't stop himself from releasing a shout of pain.

To his supreme surprise, Malfoy kissed him softly for a moment, as if offering comfort. Then a sudden movement of his fingers sent a jolt through Harry's body, and this time his moan was one of pleasure. He glimpsed a hint of a sly, satisfied smile on Malfoy's face before the fingers were completely removed and Malfoy sat up to grab the bottle again.

He watched Malfoy's quick movements as he poured liquid onto his hand and proceeded to rub it onto himself. Harry swallowed nervously.

In a flash, Malfoy was on top of him again. Their eyes met, and Malfoy whispered, "Ready?"

Harry composed himself enough to respond with, "Not really. Just…just…go ahead."

Malfoy nodded slightly and grabbed the back of Harry's thighs, lifting them and forcing him to bend his knees. Harry tried to make himself more comfortable by wrapping his raised legs around the blonde's waist.

Harry hadn't even realized he'd squeezed his eyes shut tightly until he heard a sigh followed by a whispered, "Potter…take a deep breath."

Reflexively, he opened his eyes. They locked with a pair of eyes shining such a deep blue-grey that at first Harry did not recognize them as Malfoy's. Their eyes remained locked as he remembered he was supposed to be breathing, took a deep breath in, and forgot to let it out.

"Exhale, Potter."

Harry searched the mysterious eyes a moment longer –for what, he didn't really know – before finally releasing his breath. As he did so, Malfoy pushed forward, breaching Harry's body.

Harry let out a small sound of discomfort, but kept his eyes locked with Malfoy's. There was something comforting…hypnotizing…about his eyes. Looking into them was like staring into a rippling pond, all clarity and distortions and never-ending change.

Malfoy gradually pushed farther forward, pausing every so often to give Harry a chance to adjust and relax again. At some point Malfoy began kissing him again, and he was grateful for the distraction. As he relaxed into the kisses, Malfoy pulled out completely before entering Harry in one quick movement.

There was pain, no question about that. But pleasure was hidden within, and as Malfoy began to move slowly, Harry could feel the pain lessening and the pleasure increasing. He had closed his eyes again, too caught up in the sensations to worry about seeing anything. He found himself instinctually moving with the blonde. Malfoy took his que and quickened their pace.

As Malfoy took a firm hold of Harry's thigh for better leverage, their position shifted slightly. Malfoy's next thrust struck a spot within Harry that had him arching off of the bed, his eyes suddenly wide open as he cried out unintelligibly. Understanding the cause of Harry's pleasure, Malfoy began to thrust relentlessly against the same spot, over and over and over. Harry's cries turned into a continuous string of moans and gasps. Malfoy added low grunts and deeps moans to the mix.

Just when Harry wasn't sure he could take it any longer, Malfoy bit down again on his neck and he came in a rush so sudden it surprised him, before he was swept away on a wave of bliss. His muscled contracted, and he heard Malfoy groan above him as he continued his movements. It was only a few moments before Malfoy found completion, spilling his seed into Harry's sated body.

Slowly, Malfoy separated their bodies before collapsing on the bed next to Harry. For several minutes they lay there together in silence, catching their breaths.

Eventually Harry got sleepy, but he felt like he should say something. He settled for "Goodnight Malfoy," and quickly drifted off to sleep. But not before hearing the whispered reply, "Goodnight, Potter."

**********************************************************************************

Morning came much too quickly for either of their tastes, and when the Ministry official came knocking they agreed to just stay in bed, since the reason for their present situation was the same thing for which the official was coming to check.

"Come in," Harry called out drowsily, quickly making sure he was securely wrapped in the covers. Normally he would have been mortified to be seen in the situation by anyone, but as he was barely awake his judgment and modesty were impaired.

The sound of the portrait opening was followed by footsteps and a quiet gasp of surprise. The Ministry official cleared his throat. When neither Harry nor Malfoy made any attempts to respond, the official spoke. "It appears you boys have met the deadline…however, appearances can be deceiving. Therefore, I must ask you both to submit to a brief examination to confirm what our monitoring spells and my eyes are telling me."

To Harry's surprise, Malfoy suddenly sat up. "There are no _legal_ magical means to figure out if two specific people have had sex with each other…What is your name?"

"Ah, yes, my name is Grayson Strom, head of the Ministry's new PUDDLE division. What with Harry Potter being involved, I thought it best to handle your pairing myself, Mr. Malfoy." Harry had worked himself into a sitting position as Strom spoke, trying hard to keep himself completely covered and feeling embarrassment creep up now that he was more awake. Strom continued, "In regards to the examination, you are correct. There is no legal magical test to tell us what we need to know. There is, however, a muggle test. We've managed to combine the muggle procedure with a few clever spells in order to do the entire test in less than half an hour. That is, if the parties involved cooperate."

Harry was starting to feel anxious about this 'test'. "What do we have to do for this test?"

"If you would both just, uh, put some clothes on and then join me in the hall, I will escort you to the hospital wing. As the test involves finding traces of recent…activities, I must ask you not to shower. I expect to see you in the hall in no more than five minutes." With that he left the room.

Harry and Malfoy sat in a shocked silence until Harry suddenly caught a shiver and the movement caught Malfoy's gaze. Their eyes met briefly, and Harry watched as Malfoy's melty grey eyes turned to steel. The blonde rolled out of bed, and Harry couldn't completely stop himself from staring. As Malfoy began to dress, Harry slipped from the bed as well. As he fished out something to wear, he could sense that Malfoy was looking at him. He self-consciously pulled on his clothes before joining Malfoy at the door.

Malfoy opened the door and they joined Strom in the hallway. "Ah, excellent timing boys! Just under five minutes."

The walk to the Hospital Wing was quiet, awkward, and full of anxiety…at least for Harry. He thought Malfoy probably felt similar, but Strom was entirely undisturbed. It was actually quite annoying.

When they arrived at the Hospital Wing, Madame Pomfrey ushered them into a curtained-off examination area. When Harry and Malfoy entered, she looked down at a piece of paper before speaking. "Okay boys, I need Mr. Potter on this bed here," she gestured to her right, "and Mr. Malfoy on this one," she indicated another bed on her left.

Once they were settled, Madame Pomfrey briefly explained the test she was going to do. Harry couldn't completely prevent a blush from coloring his cheeks as Malfoy left the curtained area with a small container in hand. Apparently, the test being used was an adaptation of the one muggles used when trying to identify rapists. However, the spells they used made it so that they could only compare two samples of the same…substance. Harry's musings were interrupted as Madame Pomfrey instructed him to lie on his stomach and remove his pants and boxers. He knew he had no choice, and that made him angry. Angry enough to temporarily forget his embarrassment and roughly yank down his pants.

Madame Pomfrey whispered a spell, and Harry experienced the odd sensation of a viscous substance flying out of his passage. Pomfrey said he could re-dress, so he quickly pulled up his pants and sat up on the bed in time to see her magically label the container she was holding with his name, and then Malfoy's.

A moment later, Malfoy came back in and handed Pomfrey the small container she'd given him. She labeled that one too, with Malfoy's name and then Harry's. Then she turned to speak to them. "Excellent, excellent. Now that that's taken care of, I'll need to schedule a time for the two of you to come see me in about a week." She smiled kindly at them.

Harry felt like he was missing something. He was still tired, not to mention slightly in shock and hungry to top it all off. "Er, why in a week, Madame Pomfrey?" He didn't want it to be too obvious that he had no idea why they'd have to come back at all. Hadn't Mr. Strom said the test only took half an hour?

"Pregnancy can't be detected any earlier than a week after intercourse, Mr. Potter. We want to know as soon as possible, so we'll wait a week and then test you. Mr. Malfoy is of course requested to be here as well."

Harry gaped at her for a moment, before managing to get out words. "But…we only had sex once!"

Malfoy raised his eyebrows slightly at Harry's exclamation, and Pomfrey gave him a sympathetic look. "Once is enough, Harry."

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ummm, yeah *peeks out from behind laptop screen* so that was my first lemon. Let me know what you think, especially since this will not be the only lemon in the story! As I said at the beginning of the chapter, your continued support means a lot to me.

Alas! Part of the reason for the fic's title shows its face! The title is, in part, a variation of the phrase "Once is enough."

And on a personal note (which I don't usually do, but whatever I'm excited!) I am going to my sister-in-law's baby shower tomorrow! That's right, I'm going to be an auntie for the first time! My nephew is due at the beginning of July. Hey, maybe seeing all the baby stuff will inspire me to do a ton of writing for this fic!

Until next time, happy reading!


	9. Chapter 8 Freedom of the Press

**AN: Well, I initially thought it was going to take me a little extra time to get this chapter out, but I had a surge of inspiration one night and wrote a whole chapter in one go (I'm trying to stay two chapters ahead, so I had to complete Chapter 10 before I could publish this one)! So I present to you Chapter 8!**

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 8 Freedom of the Press**

Breakfast was already more than half over, but Harry didn't care. He'd lost his appetite. While he understood the physical possibility that he was pregnant, he just couldn't wrap his mind around it. Especially since he knew it would soon be reality…if not this time then sometime within the coming months. The thought of sleeping with Malfoy again had Harry's stomach doing little flips, not entirely consisting of anxiety. He had connected with his rival in a new and unexpected way that was intense and, he was pretty sure, mutual.

As he arrived at his destination his thoughts were forced back to the present. He knocked on Ron and Hermione's portrait, hoping they had already returned from breakfast (and maybe a visit to Madame Pomfrey, too). A moment later the portrait opened, revealing the worried faces of his two best friends. "Come in, Harry," Hermione breathed.

He did just that, wandering towards his usual chair and making himself as comfortable as possible for the sure-to-be uncomfortable conversation. As soon as he looked up at his friends, Hermione exploded.

"Oh my God, Harry, are you okay? Did everything go alright? Was it awful? Did he hurt you? If he hurt you, I _swear_ I'll hex him into a different dimension! I – "

"Hermione, calm down!" Harry exclaimed. He knew if he let her really work herself up it would be worse than getting yelled at for interrupting. "I'm _fine_. He didn't hurt me. Malfoy was…actually pretty decent about the whole thing. So you don't need to be so worked up and worried. And, er, sorry for interrupting." He tacked the last part on in an attempt to avoid the impending lecture.

His two friends started at him for a moment until Ron finally found his voice. "Malfoy was _decent_? _Malfoy_? Harry, are you sure it was really _him_?"

"I am very sure it was him, Ron," Harry blushed slightly as he remembered how clearly he had known who he was having sex with and exactly how much he had not minded.

Ron flushed as well as he realized the implications of his question. "Sorry…" He cleared his throat. "Anyway, though, I'm with Hermione. If he ever hurts you, I will happily aid her in any and all plots of revenge, on top of cursing his ass off immediately."

"Um, thanks guys. I know you've got my back." He flashed them a small smile and reached up an arm to scratch his head in an attempt to relieve some of the awkwardness and tension he was feeling. As he tilted his head to the side his neck stretched, straining Malfoy's bite mark, which had already begun to heal. Harry felt a small, involuntary smile play across his lips as he recalled receiving that mark, but his musings were interrupted by twin gasps.

"Harry, what the bloody _hell_! I thought you said he _didn't _hurt you!" Ron looked extremely pissed off.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione quickly moved towards him to examine him more thoroughly. She made a soft 'tisk'ing sound as she examined the bite on his neck. He cringed as her fingers brushed lightly over it, attempting to escape the touch. It felt _wrong_.

He didn't have to worry about that for long, though, because she moved on to examining the rest of him for marks. She turned his face side-to-side, as if looking for bruises. She checked the rest of his neck. Just when Harry thought she wouldn't find anything – he certainly felt fine, maybe a little sore when he tried to sit, but he didn't mind that so much – she lifted his arms and pulled back his sleeves to reveal slight bruises on his wrists. She gasped again, and looked like she could cry, but Harry knew her well enough to see the anger behind the pre-tears. "Why didn't you just tell us? Did he threaten you? Don't worry; we'll take care of it."

Ron, who'd been watching Hermione's examination, growled when he saw the marks on Harry's wrists. When Harry looked up, he caught a look of rage and determination as it graced Ron's usually light-hearted face. Before Harry could even get a word in, Ron was out the door with Hermione by his side. Harry rushed out behind them.

*****************************************************************************

"Malfoy!" Ron's enraged shout echoed in the large, open Entrance Hall. Malfoy, it seemed, had just finished breakfast. Though breakfast was nearly over, there were still quite a few students finishing up. It _was_ Saturday, after all!

Malfoy had turned to face Ron, wand drawn. "What do you want, Weasel?" His gaze flickered from Ron's raised wand to Hermione, who was also aiming her wand at the blonde. Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "…Granger?"

Harry stepped up behind his two best friends to make one final attempt to get them to back off and just _listen_ to him for a minute. "Please, both of you stop!" He spoke in a whisper because a bit of a crowd had begun to gather to see the fireworks. "This isn't what it looks like, and if you'd just held on a minute and let me explain…"

"Explain!" Hermione cried.

Ron helpfully supplied, however inadvertently, an explanation of the situation to the surrounding crowd. "Harry, it's bad enough the two of you got matched up in the first place…I mean what was Dumbledore _thinking_ to even consider letting him be alone with you! And maybe we could've put up with it, gotten past it, but not now! Not if he's _hurting_ you!" He was panting slightly from the passion of his speech by the time he'd finished.

Harry caught the livid look on Malfoy's face and the excited and shocked whispers of the surrounding students and quickly threw together a plan in his mind that he hoped would at least keep things from getting any worse. "I've told you already, Ron, he _didn't_ hurt me! Now can we _please_ go talk about this somewhere more private?" He gestured vaguely at their growing audience.

Ron at least had the decency to blush, but also seemed to have suddenly forgotten the art of speech. Hermione covered smoothly for his lapse. Harry could have smiled at how complementary they were to each other, if the circumstances had been different. "Of course, Harry. Where do you suggest?"

"Come to our room." He strode towards Malfoy, attempting to exude confidence he didn't really feel at the moment. When he was close enough he whispered, "Sorry about this. Will you come with us…I'm going to explain to Ron and Hermione…I'm sure they'll feel really bad once they understand…" When he tried to pull Malfoy along with him as he walked, he encountered some resistance.

Harry was beginning to feel like he was under a particularly hot and bright spotlight. He really needed to get away from there. "Please come…I might need your help to convince them." Harry looked up at Malfoy then, to try to gauge what his decision might be. Grey eyes looked back at him, still steely with only a hint of meltyness. Harry took a deep breath, and as he let it out he breathed, "Please…Draco…" Harry though he saw Malfoy's – Draco's – eyes become melty, but as the Slytherin turned away so abruptly, he couldn't be sure.

"Fine, Potter, let's go."

***************************************************************************************

Hermione and Ron managed to contain themselves throughout the short trip to Harry's room, put as soon as the portrait had shut behind them they pounced. Hermione was the first to get her words out. "Alright, Harry. We're in private now, so you can _explain_. Of course," she added, clearly stating her disbelief in Draco's innocence, "now that we're alone it's three against one, so you can tell us the _truth_ and let _us _take care of Malfoy."

Harry blinked once in astonishment and felt a bit of anger buzzing in his mind. "I _am_ telling the truth! Merlin, you make it sound like I'm some sort of damsel-in-distress, Hermione. Just because I bottom doesn't mean I'm weak or defenseless!" He worked to fight the blush he felt trying to rise in his face.

Ron tried to interject, "But, mate, those bruises on your wrists and – "

Harry cut him off. "Those bruises are old. If you'd stopped to really look at them you would have seen they've been healing for at least a couple days. You both know I've had much worse injuries…"

"Okay, Harry…we…," Hermione glanced at Ron for a moment, "we believe you about the bruises. But what about your neck? That's not just some…some love bite. It looks really painful."

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but before the first word could get out, Draco had shifted beside him to pull back the collar and examine the bite mark he had left. Draco seemed quite unaware of the fact that the room had gone completely quiet…or maybe he simply didn't care. Again, Harry was about to speak when Draco gently slid his fingers over the mark, causing Harry to gasp softly instead. That had felt _nothing_ like when Hermione had touched it. Rather than feeling wrong, it felt right…and so much more. Harry felt a rush of warmth pass through his body, a mixture of contentment, trust, tenderness, and lust. He closed his eyes against the intensity of it, and it took him a moment to realize that Draco was no longer touching him and the room was still abnormally quiet.

"What the…" Ron helpfully broke the silence. He really was perfect to have around for moments like this.

"…hell was that?" Harry finished for him. "I'm sure I have no idea." He glanced to the side to send Draco a questioning look. He received a shrug in response. But he noted the blue that had begun to creep into Draco's eyes and knew that meant whatever had happened had affected Draco, too. "Hermione, any ideas?"

"Hmm, I'll need to do some research. I don't think I've read anything specifically related to Mark magic." She turned to face Draco. "How hard did you bite him?" She asked matter-of-factly.

Harry noticed a slight smirk on Draco's face as he answered, "As hard as he needed me to." The response left all three members of the trio slightly redder in the face.

Hermione shifted her questioning to Harry. "When he bit you, did you feel _any_ pain at all?"

Harry thought back to the moment Draco had bitten him, and again he couldn't stop a slight smile from forming on him face. Remembering what he was supposed to be doing and who he was with, he cleared his throat and responded, "No, it didn't…hurt. If felt…er, never mind. It didn't hurt at all."

Hermione nodded once before announcing, "I'm going to the library to do some research on this. Come on, Ron." With that she grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him from the room.

Harry and Draco stared at each other for a moment without speaking. Finally, Draco broke the ice with, "Your friends are cracked, Potter."

Harry smiled slightly before sighing. "This whole Mark business is….weird, isn't it. I mean, do you know anything about, what was it Hermione called it, Mark magic?"

Draco shook his head. "Not really. I only know a few basic facts. There are various kinds of magical Marks, but the trait they all hold in common is that they represent some form of…connection."

Harry rubbed at his Mark self-consciously. He was relieved to notice that it didn't react to his own touch at all. "So what kind of 'connection' would my Mark represent then?"

"I don't know enough to answer that, but considering Granger prides herself on being a walking encyclopedia, I imagine we may find out fairly soon."

Draco rolled his eyes as he spoke about Hermione's research, but Harry could see they held a spark of curiosity nonetheless. He took a moment to ponder why he seemed able to read Draco's eyes, the fact that they had just had a fairly normal and civil conversation, and _when_ had he decided to start calling him Draco anyway?

**********************************************************************************

When Harry woke on Sunday morning, he didn't want to get out of bed. It wasn't because he needed more sleep. It wasn't because of all the homework awaiting his attention. It wasn't even really because news about him and Draco and yesterday's argument in the Entrance Hall had probably spread to every resident of Hogwarts by then.

No, it was because Harry had a bad feeling that it would not be a good day for him. He had learned long ago to listen to his instincts, and in that moment they were telling him to brace himself for…something.

Hoping to avoid beginning his day for as long as possible, Harry rolled over on the bed to face Draco. He had never really looked at the blonde while he was sleeping before, opting to leave their shared bed as soon as he woke, but now he did so. He observed the strong, angular features softened by the platinum locks that were currently mussed with sleep. As he watched, Draco's eyes began to dart back and forth under his pale eyelids. His whole body tensed as if he were in danger. It appeared he was dreaming, and from the looks of things it was not a good dream.

Draco began to toss and turn. Harry felt somewhat guilty for watching him in such a vulnerable moment, but he couldn't tear his gaze away. He stopped breathing completely when Draco cried out. It was a soft, strangled sound but it held such agony and desperation…Harry felt his heart clench in empathy.

He tentatively reached out a hand to shake Draco awake. As it made contact with his shoulder, Draco suddenly sat bolt upright while making a sort of restrained "aaaah" sound.

For a moment the only sound in the room was Draco's harsh breathing. When Harry finally remembered he was holding his breath, he used the air to gasp out, "Draco? Are you…" He was going to say "alright", but given Draco's current haunted appearance, it suddenly seemed like a very stupid thing to ask. So he just let the question trail off.

Draco turned to face Harry, his eyes wide and slightly glazed over, as if a part of his mind was still in his nightmare. He blinked a few times and finally managed to speak. "I'm," his voice came out raspy so he cleared his throat, "I'm fine…Potter. It was just a dream." He was silent for a moment before repeating more quietly, "…just a dream." It seemed to Harry as if he were trying to convince himself.

It was obvious to Harry that Draco would not want to talk about his 'dream', and he knew the perfect way to change the subject. There was a question that had been floating around in his mind for a while now. "Ummm, Draco? Could I ask you something?"

"I believe you just did, Potter." When Harry continued to look at him expectantly, however, he added, "Fine, ask away."

Harry took a moment to try to phrase the question in his head. "Why have you been so…nice to me? Not that I'm complaining, but it hasn't exactly been friendly for us in the past, and you've just been so…I don't know, accommodating or something. Thanks for that, by the way."

Draco's brow furrowed for a moment, almost imperceptibly, before his whole face blanked, his eyes steel. "That's an easy one, Potter. The only way to get you to cooperate was by being 'accommodating'. I'm not about to have the Ministry coming after me, as I told you before. So I did what I had to, to get you to cooperate. You're happy, and my ass doesn't get tossed in Azkaban or back to Voldemort. It's a win-win situation." With that Draco rolled off the bed, quickly got ready, and was out of the room in five minutes.

All Harry could do was stare into space. He felt so…so…_used_ and _manipulated_. A part of him tried to convince himself to be grateful, because it really was better for him when Dra –_Malfoy_ –was being accommodating, whatever his motivations. But Harry just couldn't shake a certain sense of betrayal, though he had no idea why he should feel that way. It wasn't like he and Malfoy were a love match, or even friends. But still…

Maybe this was what his bad feeling was trying to warn him about….

*******************************************************************************

As it turned out, Malfoy's behavior was _not_ what Harry's instincts were warning him about. No, it was the article in that morning's Daily Prophet that was making him feel entirely miserable. The headline blazed, "BOY-WHO-LIVED ABUSED BY MALFOY HEIR" and was subtitled "COUPLE PAIRED FOR MINISTRY REPOPULATION INITIATIVE".

Harry groaned. He didn't even need to read the article to know what it must be saying. He had thought the whole school would have heard about yesterday's events in the Entrance Hall, but it seemed someone had taken the initiative to inform the Daily Prophet and now all of wizarding Britain knew. And _again_, what was reported was not the truth. Dra –Malfoy hadn't hurt him…at least not physically. The part about being partnered with him to have his baby, though… Harry decided to go with denial until Friday, and the pregnancy test, rolled around. He was really beginning to _hate_ Fridays.

Everyone in the Great Hall was either looking at him or talking about him. Harry felt his appetite disappear. As he stood to leave, he spared a quick glance toward the Slytherin table, wondering if Malfoy was receiving attention as well. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. Damn him!

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

So, alas, there is trouble in paradise! A little preview for next chapter, Harry and Draco will have an arguement.

You may recall that at the end of the last chapter I mentioned the baby shower I was going to attend and that I was hoping it might inspire me. Well, it did inspire me, just not in the "cute baby things" way I was expecting. The whole thing went pretty well, considering my familly and my sister-in-law's family are not crazy about each other. Yeah...it went well until the surreal ending. There was drinking. Name-calling. Knife-pulling...yeah, you read right. The whole thing got totally out of hand, my dad got threatened with a knife because he called someone a bitch (not my sister-in-law, btw)...well, he was threatened for about three seconds before my brother tackled the knife-holder. Everyone is okay, at least physically, but lots more drama ensued after that. Somehow, I don't think we'll be having any more joint family gatherings in the future. And now the first time I will be "allowed" to see my _first (_possibly only) nephew will be in August (he's due at the beginning of July) and my sister-in-law supposedly "will not be there". Because in the end _my dad_ was scapegoated...unfairly blamed for everything, ugh!

Ummmm, was that oversharing? I just figured since I mentioned the baby shower last chapter, I should let you all know how it went! It was like I was sucked into a soap opera or something, I'm not used to such drama in my life!

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. I seem to have fallen into an every-two-weeks updating schedule. I think that is likely to be the general pattern from now on.

Oh, and I'd love reccomendations for some good HPDM fics. So if you have any suggestions, let me know!


	10. Chapter 9 The Fight

**AN: I have nothing to say except enjoy!**

**______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 9 The Fight**

Harry spent the rest of his day hiding in Ron and Hermione's room doing his homework. Hermione finished hers before the other two, of course, and promptly settled down with a humongous tome. Upon brief questioning of what it was she was reading, Harry discovered it was a book about Mark magic. He left her in peace after that. He really wanted some answers regarding at least one aspect of his life.

Before heading back to his room he asked Hermione if she'd figured anything out yet. "I really don't know enough yet to be able to discuss it with you, Harry. I'll let you know if I figure anything out, okay?"

Harry nodded, whispering, "Thanks," before heading out through the portrait. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight, Harry," chorused behind him just before the portrait shut with a soft 'thunk'.

As Harry wandered towards his room, he thought about what he was going to say to Malfoy. The problem was, every time he tried to formulate coherent sentences he would quickly get sidetracked by his swirling emotions and everything would turn into a jumbled mess. By the time he reached his own portrait, he'd decided to simply ignore the blonde and try to get some sleep. Unfortunately, it was not time for his bad day to be over just yet.

As soon as he entered the room, Malfoy burst out, "Potter! This is _your_ fault! If your little friends had even half a brain between them, there wouldn't have been anyone to talk to the Daily Prophet! But _nooo_, they couldn't have their precious savior getting hurt by the big bad Death Eater!"

Harry felt as his whole body grew warmer with anger. "_My_ fault! If _you_ had just managed to control yourself instead of biting me, they never would have become suspicious in the first place! And don't insult my friends!"

"Oh please, Potter, I couldn't care less about your _friends_, and it's not like you didn't want me to bite you! You _liked_ it, and you know it! " Malfoy glared at Harry, daring him to deny it.

For a moment it brought Harry up short. "I –no –you –it," he took a deep breath. "That is beside the point, Malfoy! And it's not like I had any control over how it felt…"

Draco took several steps towards Harry, bringing their faces within half a foot of each other. He spoke his next words in an icy whisper. "Don't you get it, Potter? We are in an extremely dangerous position right now, and the last thing we needed was for Voldemort to become aware of it. Just think for a minute, however much of a struggle that might be. The both of us are at the top of his 'Maim, Torture, and/or Kill' list. What better time would there be for him to get to us. We will be in a weakened position, and now he knows it!"

Some part of Harry, probably reacting to Draco's use of the pronoun "we", was trying to tell him that Draco actually seemed…a bit…_concerned_. But he had built up so much anger, tension, and anxiety without letting it out, and at that moment it began to fill his mind to the exclusion of all else. "Listen, _Malfoy_, I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, pregnant or otherwise. And probably you as well, if I felt like it. I would _never_ let anything happen to my child!"

"And you think I would? Oh, yes, that's right! Malfoys are supposed to be cold, heartless, deceitful betrayers. Obviously we don't place any kind of value on family!" Draco released a low, exasperated growl. "You think Gryffindors hold the monopoly on loyalty, Potter? Think again."

"Regardless, Malfoy, I am a Gryffindor and very loyal to my friends. That's why I'm not going to let you put all the blame for this on them! They didn't mean any harm; they just wanted to make sure I was safe!" Though they were now only a few inches away from each other, their voices had risen to almost-shouting. "_You_ might be the one who's going to get me pregnant, but _they_ are still my family!" For some reason, Harry's subconscious strongly contested his last statement, but he ignored it for the time being, too caught up in the argument to care.

Out of nowhere, Draco seemed to sort of deflate…to close in on himself. "You know what, Potter? I don't want to hear it. Just stay the hell away from me."

Harry yelled, "Fine!" just as Malfoy slammed the bathroom door. A moment later, Harry heard as the water began running in the shower. He slowly sank down on the bed. That argument had been…intense. He had fought with Malfoy plenty of times before, but this one was different somehow. He just couldn't put his finger on it. All he knew was that there was a heavy, sick feeling in his stomach, and he suddenly felt dizzy and exhausted.

He groggily changed into pajamas, used a spell to brush his teeth, and collapsed on the bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

*************************************************************************

Harry knew he was dreaming, but he couldn't wake up.

In the dream, he was lying on the bed reading a book about Defense, only none of it made any sense. It took a moment for him to realize that was because it wasn't really about Defense at all, it was about having a baby. Just as he realized this, Malfoy entered the room…and _smiled_ at him. Harry felt as his mouth formed an answering smile while Malfoy quickly approached the bed.

"Draco," he whispered as the blonde climbed onto the bed, just before their lips met softly. It was a brief, tender kiss that warmed Harry to his core. Then Draco gently tilted Harry's head to the side, exposing the Mark on his neck. He leaned forward to place a soft kiss there as well. The brush of Draco's lips against the Mark sent tingles throughout Harry's body. They seemed to be gathering in his lightning-bolt scar. It was starting to burn…

Suddenly, the dream changed. Harry was laughing in a high, cold voice. As worthless as Mudbloods were, they could be _so_ entertaining.

His eyes scanned the group before him. Several of his Death Eaters, masked of course, were restraining two Mudbloods; a girl and a boy. They were trying desperately to hold on to each other. This only amused him more. "Well," he hissed out, "what am I going to do with you? You were so easy to catch; it was almost no _fun_ at all!"

As he drew out the word "fun" the girl whimpered quietly. He looked more closely at his captives. They were young, not much older than twenty, he thought. And they were fairly…nice looking, despite being no more than beasts. The word triggered sudden inspiration in his mind. Yes…Fenrir would enjoy some new toys… Besides, they hadn't had a good show in a while, and Fenrir could be very…theatrical.

Oh yes, he knew just what to do. "Well, any last words the two of you have…now would be the time." He shifted his focus to the cloaked figure to his left. "Wormtail, fetch Greyback. Tell him I have some fresh meat."

Wormtail bowed slightly and scurried out of the room. Red eyes flicked back to his prisoners. They were holding hands and, it seemed, having a tearful goodbye. He laughed disdainfully as he caught the whisper of the boy.

"I love you. Forever."

"Such silly sentiments. Love is nothing," his hissing voice drew out the words hauntingly. With perfect timing, Wormtail entered the room with Fenrir in tow. "Excellent…I trust Wormtail gave you my message?"

"Yes, my Lord." He looked to the Mudbloods huddled together on the floor. He licked his lips. "Are these my tasty treats, then?"

"Indeed."

"Release them," the werewolf commanded, "it's much more fun when they run…" With that he fell into a hunting crouch, and following a nod from their Lord, the other Death Eaters released the hostages.

And run they did. But it was no use. Greyback easily caught up with them, pouncing on the girl, ripping off her clothes, sinking in his teeth. The boy screamed inarticulately, but it was easy to hear his abject anguish. At the same time, Voldemort began to laugh…

Harry sat up with a jerk, his whole body covered in sweat and trembling, the vestiges of a laugh trapped in his throat, the captives' cries still echoing in his mind. As the whole scene replayed in his mind in fast forward, he felt the lump in his throat loosen, and stumbled towards the bathroom as quickly as possible. He barely made it to the toilet before emptying his stomach.

His elevated pulse was pounding in his ears, trapping the sounds of the victims' cries in his mind. For what seemed like forever, all he could hear was his pulse, their cries, and Voldemort's laughter as he retched into the toilet, over and over until he was dry-heaving.

Eventually he began to come back to his senses. As his breathing and pulse slowed, he realized his face was soaked with tears. Then he heard a sound from just behind him. He turned quickly to defend himself.

He paused, though, when he saw the cause of the sound was Draco. He couldn't think of him as Malfoy. Not now, not after that dream…the one before the vision.

Harry choked back a sob, and curled in on himself. He wasn't sure why this vision was affecting him more powerfully than any other before. All he knew was that it most definitely was, and that he was more determined than ever to defeat that _evil bastard_ Tom Riddle!

As thoughts of fighting and winning filled his head, Harry was able to get a grip on himself. When he lifted his head, he saw that Draco was watching him with…concern. He cleared his throat. "I'm fine now, Malfoy. It was just a nightmare…"

"Bullshit!" Draco exclaimed, surprising Harry. "People don't wake up from 'just nightmares' sobbing and puking their guts out. And you wouldn't wake up…I tried! And you were laughing; it sounded just like Voldemort. And earlier, you…you said…" he suddenly trailed off, as if he had suddenly run out of the energy required to speak.

"I said what?" Harry asked. He was a very curious person, after all.

Draco looked distinctly uncomfortable, but answered the question. "When I came out of the bathroom, you were sleeping soundly. I didn't know you'd started dreaming until…you said my name. I looked over, thinking you had woken up, but you hadn't. You had this peaceful look on your face…and then it just _transformed_, and you were laughing…" Harry could tell from Draco's slight shiver that it had not been a pleasant, happy laugh.

And it seemed Draco had caught a glimpse of Harry's dream as well. He figured that when he had whispered "Draco" in his dream, he must have said it out loud as well. "Listen, I know what this was. It wasn't the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I've got it under control. Sorry if it freaked you out." And with that he headed towards their portrait.

"Where are you going? It's after curfew." Draco called from behind him.

"I know. It doesn't matter. I am going to tell the Headmaster about my dream."

************************************************************************************************

Harry didn't get any more sleep that night. It hadn't taken very long to report his dream to Dumbledore, but the thought of possibly experiencing more horrors when he closed his eyes drove all desire for sleep from him. Instead he quietly wandered the halls, contemplating Draco's contradictory behavior.

Harry had to admit to himself, the blonde's character was not as clear-cut as he had once thought. One minute, Draco was coolly admitting to manipulating him for his own ends. The next, he was blaming him for everything while still managing to seem concerned as well. And the next, he was acting all worried about Harry after his nightmare/vision. Harry had learned to expect certain behavior from Draco. The only of their recent encounters that met his expectations also happened to be the one that, for some reason, he most didn't want to be accurate. He hated to admit it, but Draco's supposed cold-hearted manipulation of him had left him shocked and truly hurt.

So, what exactly did Draco want in all of this? For that matter, what did he, Harry, want? Harry found he couldn't fully answer the second question without initially gaining more insight into the first.

His mind turned back to their fight, to the things he had ignored at the time in favor of his anger. When Draco had said "we" like they were a team…or a couple…it had sparked something in Harry. He found that he longed for that kind of partnership with somebody, though only a few weeks ago he never would have considered Draco as a candidate. Now, though, he was beginning to see what they could be together, no doubt helped along by the odd dream he had had before the vision from Voldemort. But they had always been rivals, always fought. Could they really put all that aside and work _together_ for a change? As little sense as it made, Harry found that he wanted to at least try.

That course was made all the more appealing by the inescapable fact that the two of them would be having a baby together. Harry had always strongly desired a family. When he was eleven, and looked into the Mirror of Erised, that desire had focused on his parents and other close family. Now that he was older, the desire was beginning to change. He was nearly old enough now to create his own family, quite old enough according to the Ministry. But then, the Ministry wasn't trying to create families, just babies. Harry felt his mouth twist with disgust. He wanted his child to have the love and support of a family that he had never experienced growing up.

During the argument he had said that, in effect, Ron and Hermione were more his family than Draco would ever be. But that thought made him sick to his stomach. The idea of being so involved with Draco and creating a child with him only to continue their mutual ambivalence afterward was quite disturbing. Not only for the effect such an emotional environment would have on a child, but also how miserable he knew it would make _him_ feel. He couldn't just turn on and off his emotions like that.

It was a very tired and thoroughly confused Harry that returned to his room in the early morning to prepare to face Monday, and his first class since the Daily Prophet article about him and Draco. That class just happened to be Potions. With a groan, Harry grabbed his bag and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. He was so early that Draco was still asleep when the portrait quietly closed behind him.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, they've had their first big post-coital fight and Harry has done some deep thinking. Some fun stuff to come. And we'll find out the results of the pregnancy test soon!


	11. Chapter 10 Teamwork

**AN: Wow, has it been two weeks already? Well, here's the next chapter!**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 10 Teamwork**

"Potter! I would have thought that after all these years you would have learned to at least _pretend_ to pay attention!" The abrupt exclamation from Professor Snape ripped Harry from his barely-awake contemplation of the chalk board. He knew that any response would only enrage the Potions Master further, and he honestly didn't have the energy to butt heads with Snape today. So he simply shook his head a little and tried to look at least somewhat attentive. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hermione give a quick approving nod.

The thing was…it was hard enough to pay attention in Potions on a regular day, never mind following only a half-a-night's worth of sleep where even the half he got was lousy. To top it off, he was still recovering from his argument with Draco as well as trying to deal with the realizations he'd made while pacing the halls of Hogwarts last night. Part of him really wanted to talk to Ron and Hermione about his feelings, but his overall attitude was that he wanted to keep everything that went on between him and Draco as private as possible, at least for the present. He'd rather not see them in another headline anytime soon. Not that he thought his friends would reveal anything he told them, but…stuff happens. Considering how the last headline had come out…better to be safe than sorry.

As the lecture segment of the morning's double Potions came to a conclusion, Snape set the instructions for the potion they were to brew. Harry was surprised to see that they were set to work on the Health of Innocence potion, which was basically the wizarding equivalent of muggle prenatal vitamins. Judging from the look on Snape's face, the choice of this potion was not his own.

Just as the students moved to begin gathering ingredients, Snape declared, "As the goal of brewing this potion is ultimately to administer it to the many pregnant students we look forward to having this term," the look on his face saying _he_ most certainly did not look forward to it, "I will be placing you in pairs in the hopes that some of the more adept students can make up for the ineptitude of their partners." His pointed looks, first at Draco and then at Harry, made it perfectly clear who he deemed adept and who not.

Predictably, Snape paired Harry with Draco, no doubt hoping to inflict as much torment as possible while still managing to end up with a decent potion thanks to Draco's skill. And Harry had to admit, Draco really did excel in Potions due to skill, not only because he was Snape's favorite.

And so as Harry set his things down next to Draco at their work station he stated as calmly as he could, "Maybe you should take the lead on this one. Just tell me what you need me to do." Harry's words had multiple meanings, most of which Draco would hopefully pick up on. He was trying to call a truce without making it obvious to those around them. He was showing that he could understand the value of them working together, and that he could cooperate even when he was not in the lead. He was acknowledging Draco's personal skill with Potions with the dual intent of complement and peace-offering. And if Draco was _really_ paying close attention, he might realize that Harry's words could apply either to making the potion or to their relationship, which was Harry's intention. Basically, he was making an attempt to mend whatever needed mending between them, and letting Draco know the next move was his.

Harry was surprised at the Slytherin-ness of this subtle, multi-layered communication, and marveled at his ability to construct it in the first place. But then, he had had the whole first half of Potions to construct it. He figured he shouldn't have been surprised to see a glow of understanding in Draco's eyes as the blonde turned to face him, but he still was…just a little bit. Draco gave Harry a significant look partnered by a slight nod, before handing him a list and coolly stating, "These are the ingredients we'll need. Gather those while I prepare the cauldron and work area." Harry took the former part of the communication to mean something along the lines of "We'll talk later." So he gave a quick nod and headed off toward the ingredients.

Harry was pleasantly surprised to find that he and Draco managed to work quite well together, barely even needing to speak to fall into time with one another. A few quick, clear words from Draco at the beginning of each step were all it took to move them smoothly from one phase of the potion to the next. Harry caught himself thinking that if Snape taught that way he may actually do decently in Potions.

Just as Draco was completing the final stirs of the potion, Snape announced that there were five minutes left to the class. Upon the final rotation of the stirring rod, their potion turned a pleasant coral color, exactly as it was meant to. Snape was therefore forced to approve of their potion, though he did it as unenthusiastically as possible. Even so, Harry allowed himself a small smile at their success before beginning to clean and pack up.

He exchanged one final look with Draco before heading out of the classroom with Ron and Hermione, and a relatively light heart. Not only had he helped brew a successful potion, but he and Draco had worked together very well, almost seamlessly. The walk to the Great Hall for lunch was silent but content.

***********************************************************************************************

As Harry yawned over his plate for the tenth time since they'd arrived at lunch, he though perhaps he should take up Hermione's suggestion (made after the fifth yawn) that Harry take a nap. After all, they had a free period before that afternoon's Transfiguration class. Originally, Harry had hoped to spend at least the lunch break with his friends before heading off to sleep, but as yawning was proving to be his main contribution to conversation he didn't think there was much sense in waiting.

As he maneuvered his way out of his seat on the bench, he announced a sleepy but happy, "I'll see you guys later." As he headed out of the Great Hall, he didn't notice the small group that rose to follow. He strolled lazily down the halls, too tired to rush even though a bed sounded like heaven at the moment. About halfway to his room, in a hallway that was all but abandoned during lunch, he finally noticed the little rustles, taps, and whispers that indicated he was being followed…by more than one person. Quickly and quietly, he brought his wand to the ready.

Before he had even the slightest chance of using it, however, someone cried, "Expelliarmus!" and Harry's wand flew from his hand. He spun, finding himself facing (of all things) a handful of Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs led by Zacharias Smith. Harry decided Smith was the leader because he was the first to speak. "We need to talk, Potter."

Harry tensed and felt himself fall slightly into a crouch, good preparation for offense or defense. The thing was, though, that while Harry was very powerful in magic, he was a bit small for a man of his age and certainly not the strongest in hand-to-hand combat. A sense of foreboding came over him, and he unconsciously placed a protective hand over his abdomen. "Talk about what?"

Smith fixed Harry with a disgusted glare. "I'm sure you've seen the article about you that was in the Prophet this weekend. And we've all heard the rumors that you are the one who's meant to defeat You-Know-Who. We were just wondering how the hell you're supposed to fight the most powerful dark wizard who's ever lived, and win, when you are pathetic enough to let the likes of Malfoy fuck you."

Harry flinched at the blatant language. "Well, Smith, I really don't think that's any of your business."

"Of _course_ it's my business. It's the business of anyone who is counting on you to defeat You-Know-Who! How is a poncy little bottom supposed to save us? Especially once you're pregnant! How could you do this to us?"

For a moment, Harry simply stared in utter shock and disgust. When he found his voice he unleashed his opinion, though a little voice in the back of his head tried to tell him that an entirely candid response was not the best idea so long as he was without a wand and outnumbered to boot. "How could _I_ do this to _you_? Excuse me, but the last time I checked my life and my choices were still my own. And I'm pretty sure no one in this gathering other than me has faced Voldemort multiple times and survived. So where do you get off cornering me, disarming me, and lecturing me about my supposed responsibility to save the world! Besides, I don't really give a damn what you think of me! Fuck you!" Harry was so caught up in his fury that he didn't immediately notice that Smith had moved closer to him. He was therefore caught off guard when the Stinging Hex was sent his way, and didn't manage to duck in time.

"What the hell!" he cried after the initial pain had passed. Smith had hit his shoulder. He took in a breath to say more about Smith's idiocy and cowardice, but when he looked up at the multiple wands now pointed straight at him he wisely kept his mouth shut. His eyes flicked from one person to another, looking for a sympathizer, someone who would end this ridiculous…attack. He supposed that was what this was. But no sympathetic eyes were found.

Just as he tensed in preparation to make a run for it, a voice rang through the hall. "What is the meaning of this?" The voice was almost annoyingly smooth, cool, and calm; Harry had never been so happy in his life to hear the voice of Draco Malfoy. Despite the fact that the two of them were technically still outnumbered, Harry began to relax. At that moment he realized that he trusted Draco with his safety and protection. He also finally noticed the placement of his hand, but somehow couldn't bring himself to move it away.

Again, Smith was the one to speak for the group. "We were just having a little chat with Potter about some concerns we had about his current behavior. Allowing you to fuck him, for example."

Draco raised an eyebrow ever so slightly before letting it fall back to its natural place. The movement drew Harry's attention to his eyes, which currently looked cold enough to freeze the sun. Draco took a few steps forward as he spoke. "This chat requires you to threaten Potter with multiple wands after removing his? That hardly seems logical now, does it? Come on, some of you are Ravenclaws…does that make logical sense?" But he didn't wait for an answer before he continued. "Did you stop to think, even for a moment, before setting off on this little mission of yours that Potter could already be carrying a child? That you could be endangering an innocent life?" He took a moment to consider the dumbstruck looks gracing all of the faces in the group before answering his own question. "Of course you didn't. If you had, you would have realized what a stupid idea it was to not only threaten Harry Potter, but also the life he could be carrying. A life that carries the protection of Potter _and_ Malfoy. Not even _you_ could be that stupid. _Accio_ Harry's wand." Draco caught the wand without breaking eye-contact.

Tension hovered in the air for a moment. Suddenly, the bell signaling the end of lunch rang throughout the halls, causing all the members of the militant group to jump. One by one, they began to lower their wands and back away. Smith, determined to have the last word, hissed, "This isn't over," before leaving as well. Upon his departure, Harry released a deep breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, before turning to Draco. "Thanks for the backup. I'm not sure I could've outrun them…I'm exhausted." As if his words and the tired sound of his voice weren't enough to demonstrate the truth, he sagged against the wall. After the events of the past few minutes, the trip the rest of the way to his room seemed a lot longer. He closed his eyes for a moment, intending to gather his energy, and was surprised to feel a strong arm wrapping itself around his waist.

Draco's voice, when it came, was low and soft and close to Harry's ear. "Here, I'll help you to our room." The journey was fairly quick and entirely silent. The warmth emanating from Draco's body was serving to increase Harry's drowsiness, but he fought valiantly to stay awake until he felt Draco ease him through their portrait door and drop him off at the bed. Forgoing all sense of modesty in favor of sleepy comfort, Harry stripped down to his boxers before crawling under the covers. It didn't take long for him to settle in and he began to fall asleep almost instantly. But he was still slightly awake as he heard Draco whisper a spell to soothe the welt from the Stinging Hex. The last thing he heard before he finally drifted off were words spoken in such as way that it felt as if Draco were repeating a phrase that had once comforted him. "Sleep well, for I am watching over you."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A couple warm-fuzzies this chapter! Plus, I've been planning the scene where Harry gets ambushed and Draco comes to his aid since the beginning stages of the story, so I am very excited to finally share that with you all! Hope you enjoyed it...and next chapter, the results of the pregnancy test!


	12. Chapter 11 Some Answers

**AN: Pregnancy Test results await you! This chapter is a bit on the short side, but it didn't feel right to add any more to it. No worries, though...the next chapter is longer than usual, so it all balances out! Enjoy!**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 11 Some Answers**

"You're going to get bitten if you don't pay better attention, Harry," Hermione scolded. They were in the second half of Friday afternoon's double-Herbology class, harvesting seeds from one of the most vicious plants Harry had ever had the misfortune to come across. They were called Ocular Roses, and they were as beautiful as they were brutal. Their stunning blood-red petals disguised a regiment of fine, sharply pointed teeth. Knowing this should have encouraged Harry to focus, but he was too absorbed in his current preoccupation; he was scheduled to go in for a pregnancy test in just a few short hours and, though he looked relatively calm on the outside, inside he was close to crossing the line between 'extremely anxious' and 'panic attack'.

His anxiety had been building up slowly throughout the week, and received an extra boost thanks to the incident with Smith on Monday following Potions. Once Harry had slept off his exhaustion, his mind honed in, with disturbing efficiency, to Draco's point. He could be pregnant…now, at this very moment, he could be carrying a life that was the product of him and Draco…and already, in the first week of its existence, their child had been threatened. Harry recalled the subconscious protective instinct to shield his abdomen. Was it just because in the back of his mind he retained the _possibility_ that he _could_ be pregnant, or were his instincts telling him something before even the earliest tests were able?

And to top it off, Harry was panicking as he realized he had _no_ _idea_ what to expect in terms of his pregnancy. How exactly did male pregnancies work, anyway? Of course he could have gone to the library to look up some information, or just asked Hermione, but a combination of denial and embarrassment had prevented him from doing so. Now that the deadline of the pregnancy test was looming, he felt a much greater urgency to have this information, and resolved to ask Hermione after all, once Herbology was over. Just as Harry was thinking it had never occurred to him to ask Draco to answer his questions, a bell sounded signaling the end of class. In no time he was filing out of the greenhouse with Ron and Hermione.

The trio walked to Ron and Hermione's room in an amicable silence, and all the while Harry's mind was churning with the questions he wanted to ask Hermione. As a result, as soon as the portrait closed over the entry to the room, words exploded from Harry's mouth without really having his permission to do so. "HermineIwanaskyouboutmalepregnancy!" When his friends stared at him wordlessly, Harry figured that must have sounded as jumbled as it has felt to say, so he took a deep breath and focused on speaking slowly enough to separate his words. "Hermione, I want to ask you about male pregnancy."

After fixing Harry with an intent stare, Hermione said, "Let's sit down…" and they all did, at which point she continued, "How long until you have to meet Malfoy? I'll tell you what I can before you have to go."

Harry glanced at his watch. He was supposed to meet Draco outside of the infirmary five minutes before their appointment which was at 8:00. It was currently 5:30, and it would take him about ten minutes to get to the infirmary from Ron and Hermione's room. To give himself a little wiggle room, he figured he should make it fifteen minutes, meaning he'd have to leave at 7:40. So they'd have a full two hours to talk, but that was before figuring in dinner. "That depends; do you think Dobby would bring us dinner here? Then we'd have two hours."

"Oh." Hermione looked uncomfortable at the idea. "You know, Harry, we shouldn't take advantage of him like that. Listen, I don't think I know enough to fill two hours anyway, so we might as well talk and then go to the Great Hall for dinner.

Harry sighed, but nodded his assent. He would just have to deal with being around people even if he didn't feel like it…it was part of life. "I guess you're right. So…er, what do you know?"

Hermione took a deep breath before beginning, and Harry noticed Ron making himself comfortable on the bed in preparation for what was sure to be a long and informative lecture that he apparently didn't particularly care to listen to. "Well, I suppose the best place to start is that when two males conceive, it is through magic. In fact, the majority of what makes the process possible is magic. After conception, the child grows inside of the carrying male, in a sort of – cocoon – of magic which acts as the womb. Men's bodies aren't built to carry an expanded load like women's are, so one aspect of the magical womb is…well, it's similar to the tents we used at the World Cup…smaller on the outside than its actual internal capacity. As the child grows, the carrying male will experience only a slight rounding and protrusion of the abdomen, even when the child is fully grown and ready to be born. As for the birth itself, the magical womb will make it known that the child is ready to be born as it tries to exit the carrying male the same way its fertilization entered." At this Harry felt his eyes widen to a painful degree, but Hermione quickly continued, "Relax, Harry, a very effective spell was developed long ago that transports the magical womb out of the carrying male's body, in a process somewhat resembling apparition, without causing any pain or harm to either party. And that's the basic overview, so, any questions?"

Harry sat in stunned silence. He knew he'd had a million questions when he'd walked into the room, but now he couldn't remember even one of them. His head was spinning with the facts Hermione had so readily provided. "Umm," his voice came out shaky and hoarse, so he cleared his throat, "I'm sure I do, Hermione, I just can't seem to think of any at the moment."

For the first time in quite a while, Ron spoke. "It's alright, mate, I know it's a lot to take in. I still remember when Mum and Dad sat me down to explain it all to me…I was so horrified, I walked around for weeks wearing two pairs of underwear so I'd have extra protection."

That caused both Harry and Hermione to burst into a fit of laughter, and Ron was quick to join them. With the mood lightened and Harry's anxiety temporarily held at bay, the three spent some time chatting before heading to dinner. Throughout dinner the anxiety returned and intensified, and as 8:00 approached, Harry headed off to meet Draco.

*************************************************************************************************

In the infirmary, there was a small area curtained off. It contained a bed, a few chairs, several folders full of sheets of parchment, and Madame Pomfrey. At that moment it also contained a nervous-but-hiding it Draco Malfoy, and an oh-Merlin-I-can't-believe-this-is-happening-I-think-I'm-gonna-puke Harry Potter.

As Harry sat on the bed waiting to find out if he was or was not carrying a child, all sounds around him seemed to have been amplified. The first he noticed, and the most prominent, was his own heartbeat as it pounded blood through his body (_Thud-bump, thud-bump, thud-bump, thud-bump_)_._

As his ears adjusted to the sound of his heart, they grew capable of picking up more. The next sound just happened to be the ticking of the clock (_Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock_), closely followed by Draco's soft breathing to Harry's right (_Swish-woosh, swish-woosh, swish-woosh, swish-woosh_)_._

And over all of these sounds, like a layer of tarnish over silver, were the sounds made as Pomfrey flipped through and scribbled on the sheets of parchment currently held in her hands (_Rustle. Pause. Scratch, scratch, rustle. Pause. Rustle, crumple, scratch, scratch, scratch_)_._

The combined burden of these sounds was winding Harry up so much that he thought he just might pass out. As another _rustle, thud-bump, swish, tick, woosh, tock, scratch_ sounded, Harry had to fight the urge to block his ears and start humming to tune out the overwhelming combination of sounds. He was rescued, just in time, by Madame Pomfrey's voice…even if the words she spoke sent a little jolt of panic through Harry. "Alright, boys, ready to find out if you're on your way to fatherhood or back to the drawing board?" Harry was slightly surprised by her choice of words, but then he supposed it could be important to stay clinical but also impossible to be completely detached, so maybe she was trying to find a way to deal with the situation, just like everybody else. After all, Harry knew from experience how much she cared about her patients.

Harry, unable to find his voice, simply nodded. He saw Draco doing the same before Pomfrey gently commanded, "Lie back on the bed, Mr. Potter, and lift up your shirt a bit." When Harry complied she made a small hum of approval before she lowered her wand so that the tip rested on his abdomen, just below his belly-button, and whispered a spell so quietly that Harry couldn't quite make it out. For several seconds nothing happened, wand tip resting against Harry's skin, all three inhabitants of the small space unmoving. Then the skin on Harry's stomach, in the area surrounding the wand tip, temporarily glowed a coral color similar to the completed Health of Innocence potion.

Madame Pomfrey made another humming noise and turned to scribble words on a nearby parchment. Harry stared at her in bemusement as she wrote and then turned to Draco expecting to share a look of incredulity at being kept in suspense. But when his eyes fell on Draco, he realized that Draco's eyes were still fixed on Harry's exposed belly. Both boys looked up when Pomfrey cleared her throat. "Well, congratulations are in order. Harry is indeed pregnant."

**AN:** I was tempted to end the chapter here, but I am not _that_ evil :-}

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Potter. Potter, look at me." Draco's voice seemed quiet and distant as Harry stared at their bedroom wall. They had walked back from the hospital wing in silence, and Harry had immediately gone to sit on the bed. He wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the wall, and if Draco had talked to him before he hadn't heard him. But he heard him now. He thought about turning his head towards the source of Draco's voice, but before he had a chance to decide, Draco placed a hand on either side of his head to turn it for him.

Harry was startled out of his shocked stupor when Draco's hand brushed across the mark on Harry's neck and he felt a wave of concern wash over him. Because he was so surprised, he spoke without thinking. "You're worried about me?"

"Of course I'm worried! You've been staring at the wall for half an hour!"

"Oh. Sorry. I think I'm alright, just…you know…I need some time for it to sink in." He was _pregnant_. _He_ was _pregnant_ with Draco Malfoy's baby. Wow…that would definitely take some getting used to.

Draco dropped down on the bed next to Harry. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

They sat like that in silence for a while, until Harry released a long yawn. "Hmmm, I suppose I might as well go to sleep…there's no way I could focus on anything right now anyway." Harry heaved himself up from the bed to get ready, and after a moment Draco followed suit.

In short order they were both settled into bed. Harry was just beginning to drift off when Draco spoke. "Potter?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you really okay?"

Harry felt a warmth spread through him that was unrelated to the blankets in which he was wrapped. "I'm really okay…Draco." It was quiet for a few minutes. As Harry was drifting off he mumbled, "After all, I've always wanted a family."

If Harry had managed to stay awake just a little longer, he would have heard Draco's whisper into the dark. "Me, too."

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It took me a long time to decide weather or not I wanted Harry to be pregnant after only having sex with Draco once. When I envisioned the two directions that the story could take branching off of 'pregnant or not pregnant', I liked this one better. I hope you will enjoy it, too! Next chapter, more about Mark Magic!


	13. Chapter 12 Connections

**AN: As a special treat for all my readers, here is a chapter a week early! Enjoy!**

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 12 Connections**  
No matter how many nightmares Harry had about the fight in the Department of Mysteries and Sirius's death, they continued to lead to extreme emotional pain and a sick, empty feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he had them. As Harry lay in bed following one such nightmare, waiting for his breath to fall back into a natural rhythm, a hand instinctively moved towards his stomach in an attempt to ease the sick ache. And then he remembered. As empty as he might feel, there was a little life growing inside of him. He splayed his fingers over the skin of his abdomen and tried to imagine what it would be like to have a child. Would it be a boy or a girl? What would he or she look like? What terms of endearment were used when there were two fathers and no mother? Would the baby look more like him or Draco, or be a perfect mix?

Just as an image of a dark-haired, blue-grey-eyed child began to form in Harry's mind, he heard Draco mumble in his sleep. Harry froze, listening and waiting to see if Draco would settle back to sleep or wake fully. The room was absolutely quiet – even devoid of the sound of Harry's breath, since he was holding it – so the small, desperate sound that next escaped Draco's throat seemed to echo in Harry's ears. Slowly, Harry released his pent up breath, again attempting to bring it back to an even tempo.

Harry though he had succeeded fairly well in changing his breathing pattern to one of sleep. He was so successful, in fact, that he could feel himself beginning to drift off. That was when Draco woke with a harsh gasp and a sharp jolt. Harry forced his breathing to remain unchanged, simultaneously listening with all his might. The combination of the oppressive silence and the strain made his ears ring, but the effort was worth it. He heard the rustle of the sheets as Draco rolled onto his side, facing away from Harry.

It was quiet for one long minute that felt like an hour to Harry, and then he heard the unmistakable sound of a ragged sob. Only one. The silence that followed was deafening in its stillness. Harry struggled to maintain his ruse of sleep. His thoughts were going a mile a minute as he considered what Draco might be having nightmares about to draw out such a powerful reaction. And he was torn as to what he should, or could, do to comfort the blonde…if he could do anything at all. He had just about decided that, in light of the continued silence since that single sob, perhaps Draco was only upset while caught in the shock of the dream and had quickly recovered and returned to sleep's embrace…and consequently that he should simply go back to sleep as well.

Harry carefully turned his head to face Draco's back. As his focus was returned from his thoughts to his body, he registered slight tremors which periodically shimmered through the sheets. Tremors originating from Draco. He was shaking, and…yes, just after Harry exhaled, he heard a soft sniffle disturb the still darkness.

Harry couldn't help himself. It was an instinctual compulsion rooted deeper, even, than the one to defend his friends, Dumbledore, and the innocent. He _had_ to find some way to comfort Draco…he _wanted_ to. But it couldn't be obvious that that was what he was doing, because then the blonde would be embarrassed and push him away. Harry did some quick thinking and devised a plan.

As convincingly as he could, Harry released a sleepy groan…the kind one makes when partially awakening to roll over. He slowly rolled to his side, towards Draco, moving carefully so that his resulting body arrangement was just so. As he settled into his new position, his hand fell in (what he hoped seemed like) a natural progression to land on the slight dip that was Draco's waist. Then Harry released the sort of re-settling sigh he thought he usually made after rolling over in his sleep.

When Harry's hand first made contact with Draco's side, the blond tensed. But as Harry remained relaxed and kept his breaths even, the tension ran out of Draco in a gust, like air being released from a balloon. To Harry's immense surprise Draco actually scooted his body backward a bit, moving them closer together, before relaxing back towards sleep.

Harry thought that if his embrace could double as sleep's embrace for Draco, then he was happy to provide it. And it didn't hurt that the warmth at his side soothed away his nightmares, too.

***************************************************************************************************************************************

As Harry made the walk to Ron and Hermione's room, he contemplated about where Draco might have disappeared to. When he had woken up, the blond was already gone from their room, and he hadn't seen him at breakfast either. He'd made a wild guess that Draco might be in the library for some privacy – nobody was in there on Saturday mornings, after all – and so made up an excuse and told Ron and Hermione he'd meet them in a little while. It was a short walk from the library to their room, not long enough for Harry to come up with any other solid ideas as to where Draco might have gone.

Harry reached the portrait and knocked three times. In no time the door was opened and he was ushered inside.

"Oh my God!" Hermione cried. "Harry, tell us everything!"

Harry was taken aback at Hermione's abrupt intensity. 'Did I miss something?' "Er, everything about what?"

Hermione fixed him with a discerning look that actually made him a little uncomfortable, like a child being evaluated and scolded. "You're pregnant. I can tell," she stated triumphantly.

"What!?" Harry and Ron spoke at the same time, but each for very different reasons. Harry had no idea how Hermione had guessed the truth. And he was willing to bet that Ron was just flabbergasted by the very thought.

"You're pregnant," Hermione repeated. "How do you feel? How did you take the news? How did Malfoy take the news?" She studiously awaited Harry's response.

"Geeze, Hermione, you might want to try one question at a time if you're hoping to get any answers." Ron's tone was teasing. Then he fixed his attention towards Harry, and as he spoke again his tone turned more serious. "Since you haven't said anything, I'm guessing Hermione's right, and you're pregnant. So let's start with one of those questions. What about Malfoy? Was he being his usual ferret-ty, git self? Or has he had another bout of decency?"

Harry thought for a moment. Some of what had passed between him and Draco was pretty private, and he was willing to bet Draco would be none too happy if Harry shared those things with Ron and Hermione. But he had to tell them something, and he didn't want to lie. He supposed he would have to settle with being vague. "Well, we both had pretty similar initial reactions. We were shocked." Ron and Hermione nodded at the perfectly understandable reaction. "And then…he was concerned. About me."

They both gazed at Harry with looks of clear disbelief. When Harry wasn't forthcoming with any more information, Hermione prompted, "Concerned…how do you know?"

"Well…I think it might have something to do with my mark." He really didn't want to talk about this right now, but he didn't see how he could avoid it, and maybe it would help Hermione find some answers more quickly. Ron and Hermione were waiting patiently for him to elaborate, so he took a nervous breath and continued, "Whenever Draco touches it…I think I sense whatever he's feeling at the moment." Harry felt extremely self conscious talking about this for some reason; it just felt like such a personal, private thing. He had to forcefully remind himself that it was Ron and Hermione he was talking to. If it had been anyone else, he wouldn't have said anything at all.

Ron released the incredulous exclamation, "_Draco!_" at the same time that Hermione queried, "Could you be more specific? Do you have any examples?"

Harry chose to ignore Ron for the moment and answer Hermione's questions. He thought back, trying to recall the first time Draco had touched the mark. He remembered visiting Ron and Hermione, and their dramatic discovery of the mark. That day was traumatic enough that it was pretty well etched into his memory. "The first time Draco touched it after, you know," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "giving it to me, you two were actually with me. Remember, after you accused him of hurting me in front of half the school?" If the sarcasm in Harry's voice was a bit heavy, could you really blame him?

"I remember," Ron said. "You had a really weird look on your face for a minute, like…like, I don't know, like you'd just won the World Cup or something."

Harry nodded. "That was different than what happened last night, though…at least I think so. That time was like…a connection was being formed between us, like in one moment I had samples of some of the things he _could_ feel…or maybe things we could feel for each other." He found himself looking down in embarrassment. He felt himself turning red at the question Ron asked next.

"What kinds of feelings exactly?"

"That's kind of personal, Ron, and I'd rather not say." He took Ron's answering blush to mean he understood Harry's meaning perfectly.

Hermione cleared her throat softly and got the conversation back on topic. "So, were those the only two times?"

Harry thought back for a moment. "Those were the only times Draco touched the mark. But you touched it once too, when you first noticed it."

"And could you sense my emotions or feel a connection like you did with Malfoy?"

Harry shook his head. "Actually, no offense Hermione, but it felt really uncomfortable when you touched it." Harry remembered what he'd thought at the time, and added, "It felt _wrong_."

Ron snorted. "It felt wrong when Hermione touched it, but not when Malfoy did? Wow, tough luck, mate."

Hermione smacked Ron lightly on the arm before turning towards Harry. "Would it be okay if we tried something? A little experiment to gather some more data?"

Harry pushed away the uneasiness he was feeling, trusting that Hermione would be careful and not hurt him…at least not on purpose. "I guess…what is your idea?"

"I want to see what happens when Ron touches the mark."

Harry thought about it and then shrugged. "Alright, let's try it. What's the worst that could happen?"

Hermione turned to look at Ron expectantly. Ron got the message and trotted over to Harry's side. "Move your head to the side a little so I can see it." Harry complied, exposing the whole side of his neck. As Ron stretched out his fingers, Harry struggled not to recoil; as soon as they made contact, Harry released a sound that was somewhere between a yelp and a shout and bolted across the room before his mind even caught up with what he was doing.

A hand automatically came up to rub the mark in an attempt to sooth it. "That felt like a really powerful Stinging Hex!" No matter how much he rubbed the mark it would not be soothed, so he settled for holding his hand over it as he sat back down to continue the conversation.

Hermione had a thoughtful look on her face that made Harry both nervous and hopeful. It would be wonderful to have some answers, but he was afraid of what those answers might be. "This is very interesting, Harry. Some of the things I've been reading about Mark Magic fit with what you're experiencing."

"So, what is going on, exactly?"

"Well, I'm only speculating at this point, but I feel pretty confident that I'm getting closer to more definitive answers. To begin with, all forms of Mark Magic represent some type of connection. The Dark Mark, for example, connected Voldemort to his Death Eaters." Harry and Ron both nodded their understanding. Hermione continued, "The…manner in which your mark was created, dictates, to a degree, what kind of connection it has forged…in this case a romantic one. But there are other aspects to be considered as well. In general, romantic Marks do not react poorly – or in fact at all – to the touch of others besides their creators. Based on what I've read so far, this type of rejection is typically present in connections forged through compatible magical energy. It is not all that uncommon for two people of compatible magic to be in a romantic relationship. What is less common is for that compatibility to be so powerful that the two sources of magic call for a connection on a deep and instinctual level. Every person has some spot on his or her body at which their magical energy manifests near the surface, so that magical connections such as Legilimency and Empathy are possible. It is also at these points that the connections of deep magical compatibility are made. This explains why Malfoy bit you _there_ specifically. Was that spot particularly sensitive to his touch even before he bit you?"

Harry was on information overload, but was keeping up enough that he could respond, "Yeah, it was. Very much, actually." Ron was shooting him a disbelieving look at the admission. Harry was therefore compelled to add, "Shut up, Ron."

The red head's face was all innocence as he said, "What? I didn't say anything, did I Hermione?"

"You didn't have to; your expression said it all," Harry grumbled. "Anyway, Hermione, what's the bottom line? That the connection or whatever between me and Draco is a combination of those two you talked about?"

"Yes, a combination of at least those two. There could be a lot I'm missing…I just don't know enough, yet, to be sure. But I promise I will keep looking into it."

"Thanks. You're the best, Hermione." Ron opened his mouth to protest, and Harry cut him off. "Ron, you have your moments too, but this one goes to Hermione." After a moment, Ron nodded his understanding and agreement.

A few minutes passed in silent thought. Hermione's face had softened from critical analysis to a best friend's concern as she asked, "You never did say, Harry, how you are feeling about the pregnancy. How are you doing with all of this?"

Harry inhaled slowly as he prepared to answer. "Honestly, I feel pretty good about it. I think I'm happy…excited. You know, as much as I consider the two of you family, you still have your own families to turn to…and now each other as well. I've always wanted a family of my own, and it feels like this could be my chance to have one."

"With Malfoy?" Ron was clearly doubtful of the idea.

Harry shrugged. "Well, yeah. After all, he is my baby's…other father. And regardless of whether or not we ever have anything between us, I feel like he will be a good father, and I want that for our baby. All the love and support it could ever need. Despite what you might think of Draco, he has proved to me that he is fiercely loyal to and protective of our child."

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

The three sat and talked until it was time to head to lunch. Ron and Hermione had a hard time understanding how Harry found any redeeming qualities in Draco, but at least they were trying.

Harry was relieved when he spotted a blond head of hair at the Slytherin table during lunch. He felt as if he and Draco needed to talk, and he was intensely curious about Draco's nightmares, but he thought it would be for the best if they both had a little space and time to process the recent news first.

So after lunch, he returned to Ron and Hermione's room for a few rounds of Exploding Snap and Chess before finally calling it a day. He had some reading to do for DADA that he was actually interested in for a change, so when he entered his room to find it empty, he settled down with the text. Without the constant energy and distraction of Ron and Hermione, Harry was beginning to notice how irritated his mark still was from Ron's touch. He was becoming so distracted by it that he had to read the same paragraph four times before fully absorbing it, and it barely registered with him when Draco entered the room.

He only became fully aware of Draco's presence when he spoke. "Potter, what's wrong with your neck?" Harry had been rubbing it in an attempt to sooth the sting away.

"Oh, er, well I was telling Hermione today how it felt weird when she touched the mark on my neck, so we decided to try a little experiment to see what would happen if Ron touched it. It felt like a particularly strong Stinging Hex, and the sting doesn't seem to want to go away."

Draco gazed at Harry intently for a moment before inquiring, "What does it feel like when _I_ touch it?"

For reasons he couldn't explain, Harry's heartbeat picked up at the question. "It's – it feels, well…good." 'Good' seemed like such an inadequate word to describe how it actually felt, but it was the best Harry could come up with…especially with Draco looking at him like that. Why did the blonde's eyes keep alighting on his lips and his ass and his eyes and his stomach and his neck, in some bizarre merry-go-round?

"Perhaps if I were to touch it now, the stinging would subside."

Actually, that sounded like a wonderful idea to Harry. He stood to face the blond. "Okay, it's worth a try."

Draco stepped forward slowly, and Harry automatically turned his head to expose the mark. For a moment Harry wondered if he should tell Draco he would sense his emotions when he touched him. Then Draco's palm settled firmly against the mark, and it was all Harry could do to stifle a gasp.

Draco's current feelings washed through him in a torrent, threatening to drag him under. "Oh!" The exclamation was as soft as the whisper of butterfly wings, yet it seemed to fill the room, reverberating in Harry's mind, whirling and mixing with the feelings entering him. Draco _wanted_ him. Really, _really,_ wanted him. But something held him back. There was an insecurity buried there…and a deep and abiding longing…and a helpless loneliness that made Harry feel like crying.

"Is that better?" Draco's question was curious and cautiously compassionate. His eyes were stormy blue, wide and fathomless.

Harry acted on his feelings without thinking, wrapping his arms securely around Draco and burying his head against his chest. Again he could find no words to say what he needed, so he settled with, "Thank you, that feels much better."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Well, they're making some progress, aren't they? And Harry had gotten some more insight into Draco's feelings. I hope you liked the Mark Magic stuff, and that it all made sense! And thanks for reading!


	14. Chapter 13 Moonlight Sonata

**AN: Okay, so I am a horrible person! I give you a chapter a week early only to bring you the next chapter a week late! Ugh! Oh well, I guess it all evens out in the end! And if it's any consolation, this is an extra long chapter with some really good stuff :D I guess I left you with quite the cliffhanger last time...sorry! I won't keep you any longer, just one last thing...thank you again to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/alerted me/my story! Your continued support is what keeps me motivated to continue writing. **

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 13 Moonlight Sonata**

Harry was swaying back and forth to the languorous rhythm of music, strong arms encircling his waist from behind. He felt safe and carefree, something he had never really felt before in his life. He crossed his arms, laying his hands over the ones that held him, and sighed. For a long time that was all he did…sway in the safety of his lover's arms.

His lover? Ah, yes, that's who he was with. And his lover was…?

His lover was showering the back of his neck and shoulders with kisses. As the talented mouth found Harry's mark, he was flooded with love and deep affection. And suddenly, he knew who his lover was. It was Draco. Of course it was Draco. Who else would it be, could it be? It would always be Draco…he knew that.

He turned in Draco's arms, bringing their faces within inches of each other. For several moments they breathed each other's breath, stared into each other's eyes. Then their lips met, and the world fell away. All that existed was the combined heat of their bodies and the soft gasps of pleasure that whispered through the dark.

"Harry…"

"Draco…"

"Potter…"

'Huh?' Why would Draco call him by his surname? Especially in the middle of…

"Potter! Wake up!"

Harry sat up so quickly, he was lucky his head didn't collide with Draco's. As is was, he was still disoriented from what was apparently a dream, and still suffering the effects of said dream. "Alright, alright, I'm up!"

Draco raised an eyebrow, his eyes briefly flickering to Harry's lap. "I can see that."

Harry groaned and attempted to throw his pillow somewhere in the vicinity of Draco's face. Then he made his way to the bathroom door as quickly as he could, yelling behind him, "Go back to sleep!"

As the door closed, Harry fell back against it and quickly cast a _silencio_.

That was the third dream like that since he had felt Draco's desire for him, and that had been only five days ago! This was getting ridiculous.

Harry checked the time and realized there was no way he could get any more sleep before he had to start getting ready for his day, so he reluctantly steeled himself to stay awake and made his way into the shower. As the hot water cascaded down his back, he contemplated the dreams he'd been having. He'd known he was attracted to Draco, and that he had a real interest in trying a relationship with the blonde…and Draco had shown signs of returning that interest, and Harry knew for sure that Draco wanted him physically. But what really confused Harry was that he most likely would never have picked up on Draco's interest without the connection they had through his mark. Sure, Draco had been decent to him for the most part, and had helped him out of a threatening situation, but if Harry hadn't received the added insight into Draco's emotions, he was sure he would have simply chalked those things up to Draco being concerned for their child.

More than anything, Harry was very confused. The dreams felt so real, and so good that he wished they were. He didn't know how far he was willing to go to make the 'first' move. He did know he wanted to at least try to figure out what Draco wanted and to see if what they wanted was the same.

It was Thursday, which meant a long day for Harry, though admittedly he had a long break in the middle of the day. He had single Potions followed by free periods before and after lunch. In the late afternoon he had single DADA and at night he had Astronomy. As he trudged off to face Draco and Snape at the same time, Harry tucked away his musings for renewed consideration later, deciding he would focus on Potions as much as he could. His partnering with Draco would afford him an opportunity to observe the blonde and try to pick up on something…anything…revealing.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

"Potter, you have absolutely no finesse. That is _not_ the proper way to stir a potion, especially one this volatile." Draco's reprimand was stern but not cutting.

They were creating a potion for the fifth years called the Green Thumb that greatly aided in the growing of any kind of plant and prevented damage from insects and plant-killing diseases. It was a potion of only moderate difficulty, though, as Draco had mentioned, volatile. As such, halfway through making the potion Draco had deemed Harry worthy of an attempt at stirring rather than ingredient preparation, which was what he normally did.

And that was how Harry found himself attempting to stir the potion without ruining it. He became so preoccupied with stirring in the correct directions the correct number of times that he had, apparently, forgotten to take any care in _how_ he was stirring. He made to move his hand from the stirring rod and relinquish control to Draco, but before he could he felt a hand enveloping his own.

Draco's grip was firm but pliable, his hand slightly warm and dry. His voice as he spoke was deep and even. "Here, you have to relax your grip a little, so there is some give as the potion resists the stirring. It's not like holding a broom…more like holding a wand. You must have control," Draco temporarily tightened his grip around Harry's hand, "as well as freedom of movement." The grip relaxed, but Draco still didn't release Harry's hand.

Draco's hand guided Harry's in stirring the potion for a minute or so, creating gentle circles in a soft rhythm that reminded Harry of his dream. Harry was beginning to be caught up in a fantasy when Draco's grip loosened in preparation of returning full control to Harry. But as the blonde pulled his hand away, Harry swore his fingers brushed softly against the back of his hand in a move that, intentional or not, sent little shivers down Harry's spine and was the only payoff throughout the whole Potions class of his Draco Observations.

********************************************************************************************************************************************

As was his habit when he was confused about something, Harry had resolved to ask Hermione if the dreams were possibly related to the connection forged between him and Draco through the mark. But he was reluctant to reveal the…personal…content of his dreams.

After some thought, Harry made a compromise with himself. He realized that part of his discomfort in describing his dreams stemmed from the assumption, in the back of his mind, that Ron would be there. So, he committed to talking to her as soon as he could manage to get her alone. However, such an occurrence didn't seem to be in the cards for him that Thursday as he hung out with both of his friends during their common break times, lunch, and the afternoon's DADA class. Not only did Harry not have a chance to speak with Hermione alone, he barely even had time with his own thoughts. That was one reason he was especially looking forward to that evening's Astronomy class.

Admittedly, Astronomy wasn't one of Harry's _favorite_ subjects, but he didn't particularly dislike it either. Sure, all the calculations and planet relationships and charts often confused or frustrated him, but he had always felt that the night sky held a calm beauty. He could remember cool summer nights at the Dursley's when the sky was as clear as a pane of glass, and he would sneak out to lie in the back garden and look up at the stars. The sight had brought him an inner peace, and he found that it cleared his head so that he could think.

It was the opportunity to think clearly that Harry most looked forward to as he climbed the stairs to the top of the tower. He shivered a little as he remembered the events that had occurred atop the Astronomy Tower just a few months prior, and felt sick as he considered how else it could have ended, how bad it could have been.

As he reached the top of the stairs, took his place, and began to set up his equipment, he banished such thoughts from his mind. He had more pressing thoughts to attend to.

The incident in Potions didn't _necessarily_ mean anything…Draco could have simply been helping Harry improve in the area, which coincidentally also helped the blonde since they were partners. And Harry could have been reading too far into Draco touching him, considering he had recently become a bit more…sensitive to such things. Harry's instincts were telling him that Draco was truly interested, but that something was holding him back from acting on that interest.

Earlier on, when they'd first been paired for PUDDLE's agenda, Draco had seemed perfectly willing to express his desires and delight in making Harry feel uncomfortable with his advances. But ever since they'd had sex, that had stopped. Maybe he'd lost interest once the conquest was over…or maybe something had changed. Harry had no idea what that might have been, but it had a ring of truth to it. After all, hadn't Draco been quieter and more introverted lately? And the frequency of his nightmares had seemed to increase, though Harry was sure he didn't wake up for all of them. So what was going on?

Harry took a moment to readjust his telescope, and his train of thought changed as well. Now that he understood that, for better or worse, he wanted Draco and that, complicated and confused or not, Draco wanted him too, Harry saw a decision before him. He could take action in an attempt to break through whatever issue Draco was having, or he could leave things be and try to move on. He sensed that Draco wouldn't take action without at least a push in the right direction, and also that if he were overly aggressive or obvious then Draco would reject him and close off even more.

Instead of focusing too intensely on the subject in order to find a solution, Harry let his mind rest and wander as he continued to observe the stars and take notes. Many of his best ideas and solutions came to him in this way, which was one way that he and Hermione were opposites. She needed the intense focus, studying and logic to find her answers. He needed what some might call distractions, outside influences, and subconscious deliberation to find his.

He sighed as he felt the stiffness in his shoulders that resulted from an extended amount of time leaning towards a microscope and bending to write notes. He stood fully, intending to take a moment to stretch and rest his eyes. Suddenly, his ears picked up the soft tinkling bounce of a dropped quill, his head automatically turning towards the sound. He was rewarded with the sight of one of his more fit male classmates bending over to retrieve the writing implement. Did he mention this classmate had a great ass? Well he did, and Harry surreptitiously admired it. It struck him how a seemingly innocent behavior could elicit such a response…

And that's when it hit him. He had a solution.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

Fridays were fairly busy for Harry. He had double Charms in the morning and double Herbology after lunch. So he hadn't really had time to think about his plan until Saturday.

Hermione and Ron were off on an all-day-date in Hogsmeade, and Draco had disappeared yet again, so Harry ended up with a lot of free time to himself. As such he had slept in, and now he was lying in bed and starting to truly think through his plan.

He was struck by a wave of doubt. 'Seduction, Harry? Do you really think you can pull that off?'

'Well,' he answered himself, 'it's not like I'm considering anything extreme. Just little things…like that boy bending over to pick up his quill. I think, if I plan ahead, I could pull that type of thing off.'

'Yes, but can you do it in a way that will make Draco take notice? He seems pretty distracted these days.'

'True, true. So maybe I'll have to throw in some things that aren't quite as subtle…' He had an image of himself accidentally-on-purpose exiting the bathroom in only a loose-fitting towel and saying, "Oh, Draco! I hadn't realized you were here!" The idea made him snigger, and yet…

'That may be just the sort of thing you'll need to do.'

After a great deal more of this internal conversation, Harry's plan of action began to fall into place.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************

"Draco, could I borrow your Transfiguration textbook? I forgot mine in Ron and Hermione's room."

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Thanks." Harry knew exactly where Draco kept his Transfiguration textbook. It was on the highest shelf of his bookshelf. So high, in fact, that Harry would really have to stretch up to reach it, and even then he would only just be able to touch it. Yes, Harry knew this very well, which is precisely why it was his Transfiguration book that he'd conveniently 'forgotten' in his friends' room. He also just happened to be wearing a slightly short shirt and pants that rode a bit low on his hips.

He stretched up onto his tip-toes and reached for the book, straining for a moment in silence before calling, "Draco?"

When the blonde looked up from his homework, a look of surprise briefly crossed his face before he schooled it to return to neutral. After Draco had simply stared at him for a moment, Harry continued, "Could you help me…I can't quite reach."

*

Harry's quill fell out of his bag, creating a shockingly loud sound in the relative silence of the room. He quietly stood and moved towards the quill, then bent down to reach for what he had 'accidentally' dropped, taking as much time as he could while still seeming natural. After straitening, he covertly cast a glace toward Draco. The Slytherin was apparently engrossed in his essay, even to the point that his cheeks were tinged slightly pink with the effort. Harry shrugged. 'Better luck next time.'

*

One of Harry's favorite deserts was being served that night at dinner. Chocolate cake. At least, he felt it was a favorite…for the opportunity it provided. He and Draco had, by happenstance, sat across from each other, though at their separate House tables. Still, they had a clear view of each other, as Harry discovered when he looked up and his eyes locked with a pair of warm grey ones. The two exchanged a nod of acknowledgement, but due to their arrangement they couldn't help but look at each other from time to time.

So Harry, feeling immensely foolish but equally determined, sectioned off a heavily frosted bite of cake and carefully lifted it towards his lips. He closed his eyes, allowing himself to be overcome by the rich, decadent flavor as it began to dissolve on his tongue. Frosting had gotten stuck in the corner of his mouth, and his tongue ventured out to swipe it away. He continued to savor each bite as if it were the first, and managed to give his tongue quite the workout by the end of dessert.

He opened his eyes to find Ron staring at him. "Wow, mate, I never realized how much you liked chocolate cake."

Harry grinned. "_This_ chocolate cake was particularly good. And I haven't had any in a while, that's all."

Ron shrugged, easily accepting his explanation. As Harry's eyes flickered towards Draco, he was disappointed to see him absorbed in conversation with several other Slytherins.

***************************************************************************************************************************

Harry attempted several similar interludes over the next two weeks, and yet Draco had been either barely responsive or not at all. Such results were quite discouraging, and he was on the verge of giving up. He had decided to try one more thing, something more blatant than the others, and if that didn't work…he'd just have to accept that Draco wasn't interested. Now he just had to figure out what this last attempt would be.

A sigh escaped the brunette's lips as he thought that the brightest spot he could find in this whole seduction escapade was that he had finally had an opportunity to ask Hermione about the dreams he had been having. Of course, in typical Hermione form she had asked several quick questions before gasping softly to herself and running off to the library to do more research. Harry was pretty sure she was putting together a theory, so he was trying to give her space to do so.

In the meantime the dreams continued to, more often than not, haunt his nights; sometimes sweet and innocent, sometimes intense and passionate, and often both. Though they had helped refuel his determination initially, Harry doubted even they would help anymore. At least, through all of this, the school hadn't yet caught wind of his pregnancy. He knew once they did he would receive an unbearable amount of attention…

Harry shook his head as he reached over to end the shower's water flow. He still hadn't come up with an idea for his final seduction attempt; at least not one with which he was comfortable. He supposed he would just have to try again the next day, Saturday. Hermione had requested that he meet with her after lunch, just the two of them, to talk. She didn't say _what_ they were supposed to talk about, but Harry had a few guesses…and besides, he trusted her. Maybe he could ask her for advice.

As he began to towel off, Harry realized he'd been so preoccupied he forgot to bring his pajamas into the bathroom with him. He shrugged to himself. Draco had disappeared after dinner, telling Harry he would be back late. It was only about 9:30, but he was exhausted. He hadn't been sleeping well thanks to all of the…frustrating…dreams.

Securing the towel around his hips, Harry opened the door and walked over to the bed, where he saw he had left his pile of pajamas. He grabbed his boxers and released the towel from around his hips, letting it drop to the floor. After pulling on his boxers, he reached for his sleep shirt. His hand, gripping the shirt, froze in midair as he heard the soft clearing of a throat.

He turned slowly, to find Draco half-turned away from him. "Oh," he said dumbly, and when he started to regain his senses continued, "Sorry, I thought I was alone. I'll just go…" He grabbed the rest of his nightclothes and returned to the bathroom.

As he finished dressing, he thought. He laughed aloud a little as he realized how similar that situation had been to the one he had imagined when laying out his plan. He supposed that meant it could count as his last seduction attempt. And it had failed miserably. Draco hadn't even wanted to look at him… 'I suppose I'm old news now that he's had me once.'

He reentered the bedroom, uttered a soft goodnight in Draco's general direction – while trying to keep the dejection out of his voice – and climbed into bed. He curled onto his side, tenderly wrapping his arms around his middle. 'At least I have you.' As thoughts of his child filled his mind, he drifted off to sleep.

That night, not only did he dream of himself with Draco…their child was with them, too. When he awakened, it took him a moment to realize it had all been a dream. Once he did, he felt his eyes grow moist, and he wished more than anything that it had been real.

******************************************************************************************************************************************************

They had been walking together for quite a while, talking about a lot of things, none of them of particular importance. They decided to take a break from walking, sitting in the sun as they leaned against a tree. Now that it was approaching the end of October, the air was quite cool, even in the mid-afternoon.

Once they were settled, Hermione admitted, "I haven't yet talked to you about what I had meant to when I asked you to meet me. I suppose I'd better get to it." She smiled in a self-chiding sort of way. "Actually, Harry, there are two reasons I wanted to talk to you."

"Alright, I'm all ears."

"Well, for this first thing…Ron wanted to be here, but I told him I was meeting you anyway, and that there was no way I _couldn't_ tell you, and so he said I could tell you without him, but that I better pay attention to your reaction so I could give him a good description later, and…"

"Hermione! You're sort of rambling." Harry couldn't help but grin. He so rarely saw Hermione at a loss for words or a perfect explanation.

"Right. So here it is. I'm pregnant…Pomfrey tested me this past Thursday." She didn't look as happy about the news as he would've expected.

"This is good news, isn't it?" he asked gently.

She looked up, surprised. "Of course! I really am happy, it's just that…you see, I've always wanted to have children and start my own family and all of that, but not like this. Not before I even finished school. Not before I was married and settled. I guess I'm just having a little trouble adjusting to my new reality." She offered him a conspiratorial smile. "I'm sure you know a lot about that."

"I suppose you're right. Well, I never would have known you were pregnant if you hadn't told me…how did you know right away that _I _was?"

Hermione blushed. "I was very anxious to know, so I…I cast a spell on the doorway that told me whether or not the person to walk through it was pregnant. Sorry if it bothered you."

"No, it didn't. I just wondered." That sat in silence for a while. The sun was beginning it's decent towards the horizon, painting the sky a magnificent array of colors as they watched. As Harry observed the sky, he realized there was barely a cloud in sight. It would be a good night for star-gazing. Suddenly it occurred to him that there was something else they were there to discuss. "Hermione?"

"Hmmm?"

"Didn't you say there were two things you wanted to talk to me about?"

"I did. It's about your mark. Now, I'm still researching. Mark Magic is not the most clear-cut field of magic, but I think I'm starting to put some things together. I don't have anything concrete to tell you about these dreams of yours, but I do have a warning. From what I've read, they most likely have to do with your magic's desire to further its connection to Malfoy's magic. Sort of like your subconscious telling you what it wants. I am not certain what effects this might have, but in all I've read about magical Unions I have learned at least one important thing – you have to be careful. After all, you're dealing with magic on an elemental level, which means it can be very volatile."

"Okay…so basically you're telling me you don't really know what's going on yet, but that it could be dangerous."

"Right."

"Well, thanks for the warning." As he spoke, his stomach grumbled. "I guess that means it's time for dinner."

******************************************************************************************************************************

"Potter, what are you doing?"

Harry jumped as Draco spoke from the darkness behind him. He frowned up at the stars. He had come out here to be alone and clear his head and _think_. Now that it was clear Draco wasn't interested, Harry was trying to reconcile himself to that reality. Draco being right there next to him made that a bit difficult. "Star-gazing," was his terse answer.

"Have you not realized it is nearly freezing tonight? You can't be very comfortable."

"Actually, I'm quite comfortable…with the aid of a Warming Charm." Draco was quiet for so long, Harry thought he might have left.

Then he sensed movement to his left, and turned his head to see Draco settling next to him on the blanket he had laid out for himself. He heard the blonde whisper a Warming Charm, followed by something else that he didn't quite catch. "So, do you do this often, Potter? Not that it isn't perfectly _normal_ to lay on the ground outside on freezing cold nights," he added sarcastically.

"I think we've established that the cold isn't a factor. Except that usually nights that are colder are also clearer, better for star-gazing. I like to look at the stars; it helps calm me, clear my head, so I can think. And do you think, just maybe, you could start calling me Harry…you know, since we're having a child together and all."

Harry heard Draco heave a great sigh before speaking. "Fine. I'll try…Harry. I'm so used to calling you Potter, though…so don't be surprised if I slip." Draco sounded more uncomfortable than Harry had ever heard him sound before.

They lay there in silence for a long time. Harry guessed it was half an hour or so. After the first ten minutes had passed, he had stopped wondering why Draco had joined him, returning instead to his contemplation of the firmament. When he caught sight of a shooting star, he quickly wished that his baby would be healthy and safe.

After lying on the ground for so long, his muscles were getting a bit stiff. He lifted his arms above his head while pushing his feet away from his body. The stretch made his back arch off the ground, releasing the strain on his back muscles as well. After holding the stretch for several seconds, he released it with a sigh.

In the silence following his exhalation, he heard Draco inhale shakily. "Why is this happening to me?" he asked desperately.

"Why is _what_ happening to you?" Harry asked back, but in his head he was answering his own question. 'Why is he stuck with me, why does he have to have a baby with _me_ of all people, why couldn't he just have me once and move on.' Harry was convinced that had to be what Draco had meant.

Therefore, Draco's response greatly shocked and confused him. "I've tried so hard to resist, but you are just so _tempting_!"

"I – what? But I thought, I mean, you didn't seem to have been, um…" Harry began inarticulately. "What I mean to say is, now that you can say you shagged the great Harry Potter once upon a time, isn't that enough? Haven't you gotten what you wanted?"

Harry was extremely confused. His confusion turned to shock as Draco suddenly moved, rolling on top of him so that he was caged by the blonde's arms and legs. "Harry," Draco began. "Maybe I had thought so at first, but what I've realized is…once is not enough. And with that Draco's lips came crashing down upon Harry's, and for quite some time all thought left Harry's mind as he reveled in the passion that was finally _real_.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hadn't originally intended for the chapter to end here, but after writing it, it just felt right. The scene does continue in the next chapter... ;)

Again, sorry for the delay, but I hope the wait was worth it! Let me know what you think!


	15. Chapter 14 Rain Check

**AN: Sorry! I'm a bit late with this chapter, and it is a sort of weird in-between chapter...I'm happy with how it turned out, but I struggled quite a bit to write it. I'm currently suffering from a bit of writer's block, but I will try my best to keep getting chapters to you, my beloved readers!**

**_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 14 Rain Check **

Draco's hands snaked under his shirt and across his exposed stomach, raising goose bumps there and reminding Harry that they were out in the open. "Draco," he gasped when the blonde finally came up for air, "Draco, wait." He placed a hand against Draco's chest, pushing slightly to reinforce his words. He could feel Draco's heart fluttering against the palm of his hand.

Draco paused, pushing himself up on his arms to put some distance between their bodies and allow them both to see each other's faces. "What is it? What's wrong?" After his moment of bold confidence, he seemed suddenly unsure again. His brows pulled down towards each other in confusion and concern.

Feeling an impulsive desire to wipe the trouble from his face, Harry reached up a hand and placed it gently against Draco's cheek. "Nothing's wrong. It's just…we're out in the open. Anyone could just look out and see us."

A smirk spread across Draco's face, reassuring Harry. If he was smirking, Draco must be feeling alright. "Well, it's not _my_ fault we're out in the open like this, now is it? However, being the master planner that I am, I set a Privacy Ward around us after I cast the Warming Charm. Even if someone were to look out, all they'd see is stars and grass."

"Oh," Harry whispered, running his thumb across Draco's cheek and along his jaw-line. "Well then by all means, continue." He offered a shy grin to punctuate his offer.

Draco slowly lowered his body back onto Harry's until the weight and the warmth alone made Harry's breathing accelerate. For one long moment their lips hovered near each other, barely separated. They met in a blaze of warmth, and when Harry felt Draco's tongue slide against his lips, he opened his mouth gladly. As their tongues began to move together, Draco's hands picked up their journey where they had left off. Harry released a low moan as talented fingers caressed his chest, passing over hardening nipples. Harry maneuvered his hands around until they found the end of Draco's shirt, sliding his hands underneath and across the naked skin of his back, feeling the muscles contracting.

He was about to lift his upper body and allow Draco to remove his shirt when he froze, hearing footsteps approaching. Draco, having heard the noise soon after Harry had stilled, helped the brunette to sit up as quietly as possible. They both strained to control the sounds of their breath puffing into the night air.

The intruder carried no light, but even without the helpful illumination of the stars and moon, there would have been no mistaking that silhouette. Hagrid. Harry could have smacked himself; he should have known the half-giant would be patrolling the grounds. And although he would not be able to see them, thanks to Draco's Privacy Ward, he _would_ be able to hear them. In their passion, they hadn't been the quietest curfew breakers ever.

"Hello? Anybody there?" Hagrid called. "Come on, I know I heard sumthin'…"

Harry felt bad to make Hagrid doubt his senses, but he certainly wasn't about to admit to being there. Especially when he was still suffering the effects of his interlude with Draco.

As soon as Hagrid was out of ear-shot, Draco spoke words that echoed Harry's thoughts nearly perfectly. "Let's get inside before we get any more unwanted visitors."

**************************************************************************************

When Harry awoke, he was slightly disoriented. He lay in bed staring at the darkness of his eyelids and trying to recall the previous night's event. Ah, yes. After nearly being discovered by Hagrid snogging outside after curfew, Harry and Draco had swiftly and silently reentered the castle and headed towards their room and managed to have a record number of near misses.

By the time they had somehow escaped Mrs. Norris, Filch, a patrolling Professor Snape, and Peeves, they were so exhausted and yet on edge that they both collapsed into bed. They laid in silence together for so long listening to the slowing whoosh of each other's breathing that they both fell asleep.

Harry sat up, rubbing at his sleep-blurred eyes for a moment before retrieving his glasses and setting them on his face. Draco was already up and getting ready for the day. "What time is it?" Harry asked.

"It's nine," Draco replied. He seemed uncomfortable.

"Is something wrong?" Last night everything had seemed to finally be going right, at least until Hagrid had interrupted. But perhaps Draco saw things differently.

Of course he did. "Listen, sorry about last night. I don't know why…I shouldn't have just jumped on you like that. Let's just forget it ever happened."

Harry stared open-mouthed at Draco for so long without making any verbal response that the blond was forced to look at him for the first time that day. Harry set about to make the most of that attention by regaining his composure and looking Draco straight in the eye before speaking. "I'd rather not. After all, you didn't do anything I didn't want you to." Harry was, as often seemed to be the case in relation to Draco, confused. The night before Draco had suddenly and confidently made his move, kissing Harry before he'd even had a chance to realize it was going to happen. What could have happened over night to make him suddenly unsure? Harry was fairly confident that his response to Draco's advances had appropriately conveyed his feelings.

After such a drawn out silence, Draco's response to Harry's words could almost have been anticlimactic, if not for the fact that for some reason it ignited a fire in Harry's heart. He responded with only one word, but in that word Harry heard such a spectrum of emotions, from self-doubt to fear to hope, that it raised goose bumps on his skin. "Why?" It was the emotions held within the uttered syllable that told Harry exactly what Draco was asking…_Why would you want me?_

Though Harry was flooded with emotions, his mind seemed empty of words to form a response. As he slipped from the bed and padded across the floor toward Draco, he managed to pull together, "Because you're you." His feet brought him within half a foot of Draco as he finished speaking. Without hesitation, he leaned up to press his lips against Draco's, determined to _show_ him what he couldn't say in words.

At first Draco stood frozen in shock, his mouth still. But as Harry brought a hand up to tangle in his hair, he began to react. Their lips briefly danced together before Draco's tongue ventured out to beg entrance to Harry's mouth. Entrance was happily granted. Once they had found their stride in kissing, they began to move aimlessly until they found the bed. Harry felt himself fall backward to land on the soft mattress, only to be joined right after by Draco, his body covering Harry's like a blanket. Draco began to kiss his way along Harry's jaw and down to his neck, quickly fastening his mouth to the mark there. Harry released a gasping moan as pleasurable sensations flooded his body, leaving tingles in their wake. If he had been capable of coherent thought at that moment, he would have noted that in a heighted state of arousal it wasn't primarily _emotions_ that were conveyed through the mark…

Harry cried out as his hardness aligned with Draco's and they began to rub against each other. He felt a sudden moment of boldness as he remembered this was supposed to be _his _answer to Draco's question, and he flipped them around so that he was straddling Draco. As they continued to move together, Harry brought his mouth down to kiss Draco's neck. As soon as his mouth made contact with the firm skin, he felt a powerful pull towards Draco's collarbone which he followed instinctively. His lips teased and sucked Draco's skin until they reached a spot below his left collarbone. Draco released a guttural moan as Harry sucked at the spot, and Harry had a sudden urge to bite down, to mark, to connect…

An unexpected knock at the door caused the enraptured lovers to jump. "Harry!" Hermione called through the door. "Harry, get up! I hope you didn't forget we were meeting up before heading to our NEWT study group!"

Harry dropped his head, letting his forehead rest against Draco's skin as he groaned against his chest. Draco's head, which had been lifted to look towards the door, fell back against the mattress as he cursed under his breath before adding, "Harry, have I told you lately how much I _hate_ your friends? They must have the worst timing known to wizard-kind."

"I know," Harry whispered back. "I'm sorry. But," he offered a coy smile, "maybe we can finish this later?"

Hermione's continued knocking and additional call of "Harry!" went largely unnoticed as Draco processed the offer.

"That would be great, except for the small issue of preparing for that big Potions test tomorrow. If we're going to do well, we need to start preparing our brewing strategy _tonight_."

Harry closed his eyes in defeat. "That's right, how could I have forgotten? There's no way I can deal with anything else when that's on the agenda. But…we will continue this when we get the chance, agreed?"

Draco offered up a sly, slightly licentious smirk. "My, my, Potter, I had no idea you were so horny," he whispered teasingly. "Agreed."

Rather than shaking on it, Harry dropped one more quick kiss upon Draco's lips before moving swiftly off of him and responding to Hermione's latest exclamation of his name, "Hold on, Hermione, I'm coming! (he ignored Draco's grumbled, "Not if she keeps interrupting.") I just got out of the shower!" he invented, quickly casting a Cleansing Charm followed by a Moisture Charm to make his hair wet.

He gestured to Draco to move to the bathroom, which he did after a moment, however reluctantly. Once Draco was safely concealed, Harry opened the door and came face to face with his two best friends. For one long second tension filled Harry as he wondered whether or not his friends would sense anything amiss.

"So, you ready to go, mate?" Ron asked, and Harry caught his sigh of relief from escaping just in time.

"Yeah, I just need to grab my bag…" he did so, and then they set off, Harry gently closing the door behind him.

As they started walking toward the library, Harry nudged Ron with his elbow, saying, "Well, I guess congratulations are in order." He shook his head as he continued, "I still can't believe it, though…you two are having a baby."

"I know what you mean, mate. I mean, I always figured my kids and your kids would grow up together, but I _never_ thought my kids and _Malfoy's_ kids would have anything to do with each other, except to be enemies. Now that your kid _is_ Malfoy's kid…I just can't wrap my head around it."

They walked in silence for a bit until Hermione piped in with, "How are things going with you and Malfoy, Harry? Did you have another of those, um, _dreams_?"

Ron's ears immediately picked up on the reference to something about which he had no knowledge. "What dreams?"

Harry ignored Ron both to answer Hermione and to give himself a little more time to come up with a suitable lie to tell Ron. Though Harry trusted his red-headed friend, there was a reason he had gone to Hermione separately to discuss his dreams about Draco. It was just _not_ the sort of thing he wanted to share with Ron…plus, he knew Ron would totally freak out if he did tell him. "Draco and I are…civil. I guess we're getting along." Well, considering what he and Draco had been doing in their recent time alone, that was definitely an understatement. But Harry wasn't sure yet what exactly he and Draco were, and until he was, he chose to air on the side of caution. Plus, he wasn't sure if Draco would want him to say anything. 'Geeze, I guess Draco and I need to talk,' he thought.

"And no, I didn't have another dream." Ron opened his mouth to repeat his question, but it was Hermione, surprisingly enough, who cut him off.

"When Harry and I talked, he told me he'd been having nightmares about losing his baby. I was hoping that our talk might have helped clear his subconscious."

Harry rushed to hide his look of shock as Ron turned from Hermione to him. "Wow…sorry, Harry. That must be a pretty awful thing to dream about."

"Yeah…" Harry cast around in his mind for a change of subject, but couldn't seem to find one.

Ron managed it perfectly by exclaiming, "Hey, did you hear, they're finally going to hold Quidditch tryouts? It's Halloween on Friday, and we still don't even have teams!"

"It's about time," Harry agreed. "I wonder why there was such a delay."

As usual, Hermione had a theory. "Considering the number of students they were expecting would be getting pregnant, maybe they wanted to wait so they didn't have to replace half the team a few weeks or a month down the line when they all got pregnant."

Harry was so taken aback, he actually stopped walking. How could he not have thought of that? "I won't be able to play Quidditch this year…and when I don't try out, everyone is going to know why!" He groaned. "I can't believe this."

"Harry, relax. In case you've forgotten, half the seventh years are going to be pregnant soon, if they aren't already."

Though he knew Hermione's words made sense, he still felt miserable. Sure, half the seventh years were, or soon would be, pregnant; but they weren't the ones the whole school, or for that matter the whole of Wizarding Britain, would be talking about. No, they would be talking about _him_, the boy-who-lived, pregnant by his school rival and the son of a Death Eater to boot.

"Listen, can we just talk about something else?" Harry sighed. He fully intended to avoid further thoughts on the subject for as long as he could.

"There's going to be a Halloween Ball this year," Hermione offered as they began walking again. "We found out about it in our latest Prefect meeting, and Dumbledore is announcing it to the students tomorrow during dinner."

"When is it?" Harry asked.

Ron piped in with the answer. "Halloween night. Fifth years and above only. It's been ages since Hogwarts had a Halloween Ball…I wonder why they're having one this year."

"Regardless of why they're having it, we're going," Hermione declared.

"We?" Balls were not one of Harry's favorite things.

"Yes, _we_. You, me, and Ron. We'll all go together and have fun. It's for Halloween, so it won't be super formal. We can just relax and eat candy and have a good time."

Ron's face visibly brightened. "Hermione, you had me at 'eat', and 'candy' sealed the deal."

"Honestly, Ron, don't' you ever think about anything other than food!" Hermione scolded, but Harry noticed the warm smile spread across her face as she spoke.

He smiled, too. Maybe going to the Halloween Ball wouldn't be so bad. He could hang out with his friends, talk and eat, and have a chance to unwind a little. It would be fine. Right?

**********************************************************************************************************************************

By the time Harry and Draco had finished preparing for their Potions test that night, they were both absolutely exhausted. They fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit their pillows. As Harry dozed off, he noticed that neither of them had taken steps to keep some distance between them in the small bed as they had always done before, resulting in a proximity close enough that Harry could feel the warmth radiating from Draco's general direction. Feeling comfortable and safe, Harry drifted into sleep.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Draco's eyes avidly followed the progress of Harry's hands as they completed the last in a sequence of stirs to the potion. They both held their breath as they waited to see whether or not the potion was continuing to brew correctly. Harry exhaled softly in relief as the potion changed from soft lavender to deep green and released vapors in a spiral pattern. Draco's soft "Yes!" barely reached Harry's ear, but Harry knew the blonde was pleased and impressed they had made it so far into the brewing process without any missteps.

They were working on a highly advanced Aging Potion, which Harry was sure Snape had set them just so he could watch the panic in their eyes and enjoy the show as his students, pair by pair, failed to brew it. Indeed, most of the pairs had failed by this point, leaving them to quietly read, doodle, or, as was the case with the majority of them, watch the last two groups that were still working. Other than Draco and Harry, only Hermione and her partner were left.

As they prepared for the final step, Snape moved in closer to watch their work. The increased proximity made Harry extremely nervous, and it must have shown because in a moment when Snape and their classmates were distracted with a small explosion which occurred at Hermione's table, Draco turned Harry to meet his eyes. The warm grey orbs exuded support and encouragement as Draco gently clasped the back of Harry's neck with his left hand, his fingers feathering softly against his skin as he pulled his hand away.

Harry took a few deep breaths and reviewed the final step in his mind. The last ingredient had already been meticulously prepared by Draco. All they had left to do was work together to add the ingredient so that the last of it entered the potion in conjunction with the final stir. It was Harry's job to stir, as they had discovered that Draco had a better sense of timing and finesse when it came to pouring the ingredient. In the last moments before they began, Harry reviewed the stirring combination in his head: one stir clockwise, one stir counter, two stirs clockwise, three counter, five stirs clockwise, eight stirs counter, thirteen stirs clockwise, twenty-one counter.

"Ready?" Draco whispered, and for a moment Harry was reminded of the night they'd had sex and Draco had asked him the same question. Though it wasn't all that long ago, _so_ much had changed.

He shook himself out of that line of thought, returning to intense focus on the task at hand, locking eyes with Draco and nodding his assent. Harry prepared to stir, waiting for Draco to give the word to start.

Draco inhaled deeply, exhaled. "Now."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I know, I know! Weird place to end! *hides face in hands* Even if I have diffent plans, sometimes I write something and it feels like an end. That's what happened with this, and I went with my instinct. Hope you enjoyed it, even if it was sort of one big tease! I promise more action soon, and more cuteness/sweetness ;)


	16. Chapter 15 Surprise!

**AN: Okay, so I am a horrible, horrible person! I'm so sorry about the late update! In the past week I have moved back to school and had my first week of classes, so I've been pretty busy! But, there is some good stuff in this chapter that will hopefully make up for the wait. Enjoy!**

**_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 15 Surprise!**

"Hermione, please don't be mad at me."

"Why would I be mad, Harry? I'm very happy for you. It is an extremely difficult potion to brew, after all. Even with Malfoy's help, you must have worked really hard to have been able to complete it."

Hermione was right about the hard work, but Harry could tell that though she was truly happy for him, even proud of him, it still bothered her that he had accomplished something she had not. Hermione and her partner had not managed the necessary degree of synchronization to successfully complete the potion. Harry and Draco had. "Alright, Hermione. Just…you know you're still brilliant, right?" He smiled at her as he automatically reached for the strap of his bag to readjust it on his shoulder. As Hermione smiled back, he realized that in place of the strap that should have been there, his hand reached only air.

Hermione's smile faded into a frown of concern as she watched Harry. "What's the matter?"

"I think I've left my bag behind," he answered.

Ron, who had stayed as unobtrusive as possible while Harry and Hermione had their 'talk' now reentered the conversation to say, "See, Hermione, even though he completed the potion, he still managed to forget to take his bag with him. You're always so organized and on top of things…that wouldn't happen to you." He said the words somewhat teasingly, and it was easy to hear the smile in his voice. Yet somehow that rendered the complement to Hermione no less sincere, and her cheeks turned slightly pink as she grinned.

Harry told his friends, "I'll see you in the Great Hall," and then turned back towards the Potions classroom. They had already made it about halfway there, but he decided to take a leisurely pace since he had plenty of time to walk there and back and still have lunch.

As he passed an open doorway, he was suddenly grabbed and pulled in, and he heard the door close behind him. He whirled around, wand drawn, to face his enemy.

"Looking for this?" Draco asked, holding up Harry's bag.

"Draco! Merlin, I thought maybe Smith was ready for round two or something! Don't scare me like that; I've got enough of that in my life…" Harry lowered his wand as he reached out to retrieve his bag from Draco. Instead of letting go of the bag when Harry had a hold of it, Draco used it to pull the surprised brunette towards him, spinning them at just the right moment so that the continued momentum brought Harry's back against the wall.

"Sorry," Draco breathed, bring their faces and bodies into such close proximity that Harry's hair fluttered a little with the breath. "I didn't mean to frighten you." Draco's hands settled around Harry's waist.

"I forgive you," Harry whispered back.

Draco leaned in to kiss Harry for a moment before continuing their whispered conversation. "You were magnificent this morning, with the potion." He smirked that classic Malfoy smirk, an expression that once stirred only irritation in Harry, but now stirred something else entirely… "Of course, how could you have been otherwise, with _me _as your partner?"

Harry grinned back. "Hmmm, you have a point there." This time he reached up to bring his lips into contact with Draco's. After their mouths separated with a slightly wet sound, he continued, "We make a pretty good team, don't we?"

Rather than speaking further, Draco showed Harry his agreement by starting the kiss back up, this time with more heat and force. He pushed Harry securely against the wall before his mouth began a descent along his jaw line toward his neck. When he reached the mark there, he paused to gently suck on it until he managed to get Harry to moan aloud. Satisfied with his work there, he unexpectedly and shockingly (at least to Harry) dropped to his knees, swiftly unfastening Harry trousers.

"Draco, what are you do – ahhh!" Harry's attempt to protest was swallowed (no pun intended) by the swift pleasure that splashed over him like rain as Draco engulfed his hardening erection in his mouth. "Draco, what are you – mmmph – you don't have to – nnng – wh-wh-why are you – oohh!" he gasped inarticulately as Draco began to move his mouth forward and backward, to use tongue. Shortly thereafter, he lost all ability to articulate anything as he felt warmth pooling in his abdomen and shivering up his spine.

Moments later he climaxed, shooting his release into Draco's mouth. The blonde turned, spat, cast a quick Cleansing Charm, and stood so quickly that Harry's words of apology were drowned in yet another kiss. He tasted himself on Draco's tongue as they kissed, which was weird…but also kind of exciting. As the kiss broke, Draco whispered, "You have nothing to apologize for. I wanted to do that, so I did. I think your body is beautiful. I didn't – I mean – did you not want me to?"

Harry reflected that it was always such an odd mix of confidence and uncertainty with Draco, before responding, "No. I mean, yes. Or, ugh, what I'm trying to say is, I didn't mind in the least." He reinforced his words with a gentle smile, and by bringing his hand up to rest against the soft, pale skin of Draco's cheek. He could feel that his eyes were soft, and he saw that softness reflected back at him. Then, his mental peace was disturbed by a sudden thought. "What about you?" He whispered it so softly that it was almost to himself, but Draco heard.

"What about me?"

"Well, you did that for me, but…what about you?" Harry repeated.

Draco's eyes widened slightly, but then he smiled, and Harry relaxed a little. "Oh. I, um, well…I enjoyed myself _as much_ as you did. Understand?"

Harry nodded, even as he asked, "How?"

"How did I enjoy it?" When Harry nodded again, Draco continued with his explanation. He cast his eyes around the room as if expecting to find the right words written on the walls or ceiling, but reestablished eye-contact before speaking. "Honestly, I've wanted to do that for a while, and the sounds that you made…it was more than enough."

"Oh," was all Harry could think to say as he processed the new information.

Draco broke Harry from his reverie when he spoke again. "We should probably get going, before your friends get too worried about you missing."

That got Harry's attention. How long had they been there? Ten minutes? Twenty? More, even, than that? "You're right."

"You go on ahead first, and I'll follow in a little while. It'd look suspicious if we showed up together."

Harry considered asking why they should care if people suspected something was going on between them, especially since something was…though he wasn't sure exactly what that was yet. But he realized that was a conversation for later, when they were alone in their room and his friends weren't waiting for him to show up. "Alright," was all he said.

Draco softly kissed the back of his neck before opening the door and sending Harry out of the room. It filled Harry with a warmth that would last him the rest of the day.

When he finally plopped down at the Gryffindor table between Hermione and Neville, Ron leaned around Hermione to ask, "What took you so long, Harry?"

With many eyes on him, Harry simply shrugged and claimed that he'd taken his time walking. In no time the Gryffindors were back to chatting, eating, and laughing; Harry thought he may have even been the only one to notice a certain blonde Slytherin slipping into the Great Hall a few minutes later.

***************************************************************************************************

Monday nights were, unfortunately, primarily reserved for getting homework done. Harry sighed, reaching his arms above his head in a stretch. He'd been sitting for…he wasn't even sure how long, actually. It seemed like a good time to take a bit of a break to, among other things, stretch his legs and visit the bathroom.

As he reached for the towel to dry his hands, Harry caught his own eye in the mirror and was seized with a sudden impulse. His eyes darted around anxiously for a moment, looking for watching eyes though he knew he was alone. He turned back to the mirror, quickly casting a charm to make it longer and allow him to see from his head to mid-thigh. Turning so that his body appeared in the mirror in profile, Harry lifted up his shirt with one hand to expose his abdomen. His other hand wandered over the exposed skin of his stomach as he looked closely at it, trying to discern if it had begun to round at all. It seemed to him that it wasn't as flat as he was used to, but then he had been a little generous with his desserts lately… It was hard to believe a little life was growing inside of him, underneath the path of his hand as it slid slowly up towards his chest and then back down over his navel.

"What are you doing?"

Harry just about jumped through the ceiling, he was so startled. He figured he must have been so absorbed in his self-examination that he hadn't heard Draco enter their room. As the surprise wore off, Harry felt his cheeks redden. Though he was a little embarrassed to have been caught so much off guard, the majority of his embarrassment stemmed from what Draco had caught him doing. Nevertheless, he pulled himself together to answer the question.

"I was curious to see if…you know…if I was _showing_ yet." Draco's eyes were focused intently on Harry's midsection, causing Harry to wonder if maybe Draco shared his curiosity. Then he realized that he was still holding his shirt up, and that Draco was appreciating the sight of all that exposed skin.

Harry self-consciously lowered his shirt, setting it back into place.

Draco gave himself a little shake, and his gaze moved up to Harry's face. "Well? Are you?"

Harry's mind scrambled to recall the last words he'd spoken, but something in his expression made Draco speak again before he had a chance to answer.

"Even though I saw for myself, I couldn't tell. You know your body better than I do, so you'd notice any changes first, right?" Something in his tone and the way his eyes swept over Harry body told him that Draco would like to know his body much better than he currently did.

Harry felt a little shiver ripple through him at the thought, before responding, "I am a little rounder than I was, but not so much as to make a noticeable bump."

For a moment, Draco looked like he wanted to make some kind of comment in response to the (unintentional) innuendo that could be found in Harry words, and even opened his mouth to speak. But he proceeded to close it, shake his head slightly, and turn back into their room.

Harry's guess was that Draco was heading for his desk to do some more homework, and that in his mind the conversation was over. It wasn't, though. Not if Harry had his way. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for them to talk…about the baby, and about what exactly they were to each other.

"Hey, Draco?"

"Hmmm?"

"Could you look at me, please? I want to ask you about something."

Draco turned his chair to face Harry fully, giving him his undivided attention. Harry did notice, however, the way that Draco's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Ask away."

Harry paused for a moment, trying to phrase what he wanted to ask. He quickly gave up the task as an exercise in futility, and gathered up the guts to ask it straight out. He sucked in a deep breath through his nose, channeling the air into the words, "What are we?"

Draco raised one eyebrow. "I would have thought you'd've figured it out by now, Harry. We're _wizards_."

Sarcasm. Great. "I _mean_ what are we to each other? One minute you're ignoring me, and the next you're telling me I'm irresistible, then you go ahead and resist me only to pounce on me at the first possible moment in which you proceed to…do whatever it was that you did in that empty classroom, right after that saying that we can't be seen together. Is it any wonder that I'm a little confused?"

Draco leaned forward in his chair, and he fixed Harry with a contemplative stare. "One: I meant what I said; you are quite irresistible. But we both agreed we had to focus on Potions before we could – or at least before I could – stop resisting. Two: what I did in that empty classroom was give you a lovely surprise blowjob, which I believe you enjoyed quite thoroughly. Three: I didn't think we should be seen together because we need to hold on to whatever secrecy we can. You know how quickly gossip travels in Hogwarts, and it only takes one person to extend that gossip from Hogwarts to the Daily Prophet. The last thing we need is for our enemies to figure out we could be used as leverage against one another." At this point Draco paused, as if he needed a moment to formulate the rest of what he wanted to say.

In the course of Draco's speech, Harry has sat down on the edge of the bed. Now that the speech was at a pause, he was processing what Draco had said so far. It was true, what he'd said about focusing on Potions first; they had sort of agreed to that. The word 'blowjob' tugged at Harry's memory…ah, that's right! He'd heard about that, albeit vaguely, from Seamus one drunken night…or had it been Dean? Harry shrugged to himself, moving on to the next thought. Playing back Draco's words in his mind, Harry certainly knew he was right about gossip in Hogwarts, and they had discussed the need for secrecy before. What stuck in Harry's mind most of all was what Draco had said about them being used as leverage. You could only use someone as leverage if the person you were using them against cared about them, right?

Harry was out of time to think, it seemed, as Draco had apparently chosen the rest of his words. "Four." He paused, seeming to hover on some uncertainty, but continued after a few seconds of silence. "Four: what we are to each other for the most part remains to be seen. But as of right now, I believe what we are…" He looked up, locking eyes with Harry. "We are lovers."

_Lovers_… The word sat oddly in Harry's mind in such a way that made him want to laugh. But as Draco's expression remained completely serious, his gaze intent on Harry as he waited for a response or reaction, the urge to laugh faded. Harry spoke the first words that managed to bubble to the surface of his mind. "Why not boyfriends?"

The corner of Draco's mouth twitched as if he wanted to smirk but was resisting the urge. "To my knowledge, boyfriends hang out together, go on dates, and are seen together in public. We do none of those things. Our current relationship is primarily physical, so lovers seemed the most appropriate term."

In his mind, Harry disagreed. The term 'lovers' implied much more to him than a physical relationship; after all, it had the word 'love' in it! Lovers was what he and Draco were in his dreams, the dreams that had tortured him for weeks. What Draco was describing sounded more like fuck-buddies to Harry. Then again, he disagreed with Draco's assessment of their current relationship as well. It was true, the majority of what existed between them so far was physical, but there had been certain emotional components as well…and a growing trust. At least on Harry's side. He wasn't sure how much Draco trusted him.

But Harry spoke none of this aloud, because he had a feeling (based on the slightly defensive tone of Draco's explanation) that Draco's thoughts might not be as different from Harry's as he wanted him to believe. Instead he said, "We hang out together, even if it isn't in public. And a lot of couples are private, but that doesn't mean they aren't couples."

"Are you asking me to be your boyfriend, Potter?" Draco turned suddenly unreadable, as if a Neutralizing Potion had been poured over him. He looked at Harry expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Harry hesitated. Was he about to make a fool of himself? Then he mentally shrugged. He'd rather know where they stood than remain stuck in limbo. "I guess I am." He spoke as matter-of-factly as he could.

Slowly, Draco's mouth quirked into the familiar smirk. "I would be willing to agree to that…on one condition."

"What?" Harry breathed, hardly daring to believe this was really happening.

Draco grinned mischievously. "I get to pick out your Halloween costume."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hmmmm, what is Draco up to?

Again, thank you to all my readers for your continued support! Now that I am back in school there may be a bit more time between updates, but I'm going to try really hard to at least get out a chapter every three weeks. I know what it is like from a reader's point of view, going crazy waiting for the next chapter. Trust me, it happens to me all the time. So I will be doing my best to get you your HPDM fix, but alas school work comes first :(


	17. Chapter 16 Trick or Treat

**AN: Here's a lovely treat for you! Or is that just a trick? Read and find out!**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 16 Trick or Treat**

Harry smoothed his hands along unfamiliar material, compensating for his anxiety by trying to remove every little crease. Maybe if the robes he was wearing were in perfect order, people wouldn't realize they were –

"Harry!" He jumped as Hermione knocked briskly on the door, calling for him impatiently. She was apparently excited about heading down to the Great Hall for the Halloween Ball, a sentiment Harry did not share.

"Hermione, I think I'm just going to stay in here all night, if it's all the same to you. This is just too embarrassing!" Leave it to Draco to choose _this_ of all things to be his Halloween costume…

Hermione made an exasperated sound somewhere between a sigh and a growl. "I just don't understand why you picked a costume that you find so embarrassing!" Okay, so he hadn't told his friends Draco had picked out his costume, or why he had let him. And that was making the situation all the more embarrassing, because he had to make up an explanation of why he would _ever_ wear something like this. "Honestly, Harry, it can't be _that_ bad…just come out of the damn bathroom!"

'Wow, she must really be angry, to resort to swearing' Harry thought. Well, he figured, he might as well just get it over with. He had a sneaking suspicion that if he didn't show up in the costume Draco had chosen, Draco would claim that it didn't count and the boyfriend card would be off the table. Harry steeled himself as he reached for the doorknob, resting his hand on it for a moment before wrenching it open with one quick yank.

Silence greeted him as he stood awkwardly in front of his two best friends. Hermione's eyes had widened in shock, and Ron's mouth was hanging open. Harry felt blood rising to his cheeks, and just when he was about to break the silence, Ron exclaimed, "Bloody hell!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Very articulate, Ron," he muttered sarcastically.

Ron hardly seemed to notice as he continued, "Why in Merlin's name would you dress up as a Slytherin for _any_ reason, even Halloween?

Harry's eyes narrowed. "I seem to remember a time in our second year…"

Ron flushed. "That doesn't count! We were investigating Malfoy because we thought he was the Heir of Slytherin, or knew something about who was! That was for the sake of Hogwarts and everyone's safety!"

Hermione snorted, and both boys stared at her incredulously. "Come on, the two of you are just being silly!"

"But…" Ron began.

"But nothing. While certainly unexpected, there's nothing wrong with Harry's costume. Oh, and by the way, Harry, the colors really suit you…bring out your eyes and all that." She smiled kindly at him.

Harry had a sneaking suspicion that Hermione really just wanted to end the conversation so they could head to the Ball, but he still said, "Um, thanks," and smiled back at her.

"Just out of curiosity, what made you choose to be a Slytherin for Halloween?"

Harry was temporarily stumped, but then the perfect answer came into his mind. So what if it wasn't the truth…at least not entirely. "Can you think of anything scarier?"

For a moment Harry met his friends' eyes – and then they all burst out laughing; they barely managed to subdue their mirth by the time they reached the Great Hall.

*****************************************************************************************************

Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the first hour of the Ball together, checking out the food and decorations, saying hello to friends they ran into, and finally sitting down to have a snack. When they finished eating, Ron and Hermione headed off to the dance floor. Harry, feeling awkward sitting at the table alone, had drifted towards one of the snack tables near the perimeter of the room, watching the costumed people swirl around as he absently picked at a plate of chips.

"Having fun?" asked an increasingly familiar voice.

Harry glance over his shoulder, starting when he found Draco's face closer to his than he'd expected. There was something different about Draco's voice when he spoke to Harry; different than the way he spoke to others, and different than how he'd spoken to Harry in the past. Harry was startled from his musings as Draco continued to speak.

"I must say, whoever picked out your costume has impeccable taste. You really should have been a Slytherin, if only for the way the uniform colors make you look so…" he hovered on the brink of finishing his statement, leaning towards Harry's ear and lowering his voice as he said, "_delectable_."

Harry fought against the shiver that ran along his spine. "And what are _you _supposed to be?" Harry wondered aloud.

Draco swirled his cape around him dramatically, striking a dark-but-dashing pose and expression. "Not what, who. I am Dracula, of course." He grinned, and Harry saw that Draco had magically elongated and sharpened his eye-teeth for the occasion, though only slightly. In Harry's opinion, that somehow made the whole effect even more successful.

"I see," he said, and continued, "Are you sure we should be seen speaking to each other? People might get ideas." His tone was teasing, but Draco's expression suddenly transformed.

"You're right. I'll see you later." And with that he disappeared into the crowd, cape billowing behind him.

Harry felt suddenly and inexplicably miserable. He glanced towards the dance floor to search for his friends and spotted them after a moment. It looked like they were having a lot of fun. Who was he to disturb that? With a shrug he turned towards the doors, thinking he might head outside to clear his mind. Though it was getting quite cold, the robes he was wearing would be warm enough to spend at least some time in the fall night air.

As he walked towards the door, he noticed the whispers of the people he passed. Everyone seemed to be fascinated by his costume choice. He stepped up his pace, wanting to get out of the room as fast as possible. He didn't notice as one figure broke away from the crowd and followed him out.

***************************************************************************************

"Harry! Hey, Harry, wait up!"

Harry turned, framed by the doorway that led to Hogwarts grounds. In the dim light of the Entrance Hall, it took him a moment to discern who was speaking to him. "Jonas?" He recognized his one and only male ex with a jolt of surprise. Jonas reached the doorway and leaned against the wall, uncomfortably close in Harry's opinion. Only Draco got that close to him… "What's up?"

Jonas had dark brown hair and light blue eyes, set into a smooth, pale-skinned face. He was taller than Harry and broad shouldered. He was dressed as a ghost, draped all in white. The effect, combined with his natural coloring, was dramatic and, well, ghost-like.

"I wanted to talk to you." Well, that was obvious. When Harry said nothing, Jonas continued, "You look really good in Slytherin colors, Harry."

Harry's eyes widened, and he blushed. That wasn't what he'd expected Jonas to say. "Isn't Slytherin supposed to be the enemy?" he asked, because he couldn't think of anything else to utter into the extended silence.

Jonas smiled, making little crinkle lines appear at the corners of his eyes. "Only to Gryffindors. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws can tolerate at least _some_ Slytherins quite well, actually."

"Oh," Harry said. Did Jonas just want to chat?

"Harry, there was a reason I wanted to talk to you."

Okay, not just a chat then. Harry nodded to indicate Jonas should go on.

"I think we made a mistake, giving up on us so soon. I miss you." His face was completely earnest, his blue eyes wide. As Harry looked into them, he noticed how clear they were and caught himself wishing for the fathomless pools of deep, swirling blue-grey that Draco's eyes sometimes became.

Harry shook himself of that train of thought and forced himself to focus on what Jonas was saying. "You miss me?" Harry asked. If he was honest with himself, there had been times he had missed Jonas, but it was the way you would miss something that wasn't what it should have been, or what you wished it could have been. He missed his relationship with Jonas the way he missed his childhood. He truly liked Jonas; he was happy and fun and, Harry had to admit, one of the best looking guys he knew. But Harry had Draco now. "Listen, Jonas, I don't think – "

"Come on, Harry." Jonas shifted so that he was facing Harry and placed his hands flat on the wall on either side of Harry's head, caging him with his arms. "I think we could have something together, something good, and it's not like you're with anyone else, are you?" His light blue eyes gazed down at Harry, radiating a mixture of hope and fear.

"Um, well…you see, it's complicated. With this whole PUDDLE thing…" Could he reject Jonas without telling him about his relationship with Draco? Would Draco be okay with him telling Jonas? Harry was frantically trying to think things through.

Jonas, however, seemed to take Harry's hesitation as an admittance that he was available. He bent his elbows, bringing his whole body closer to Harry's, and lowered his head down. Harry knew Jonas was about to kiss him, and he was frozen to the spot.

"Wa –wait!" he managed to gasp out, but it was so quiet he wasn't sure Jonas even heard him. He screwed his eyes shut, awaiting the inevitable.

"What's going on here?"

Jonas stopped his descent towards Harry's mouth, but didn't move away. He simply turned to face the intruder. "We're having a private moment here, if you don't mind."

Harry tried desperately to find his voice. He opened and closed his mouth several times, to no avail. Finally, he managed just barely a whisper, but it was enough. "Draco…"

Draco's gaze snapped from Jonas to him, and Harry tried to use his eyes to plead for help. The blonde's eyes narrowed ever so slightly before he spoke again. "As a matter of fact, Fairweather, I do mind, and it looks like Potter does, too."

Jonas looked affronted, but as he glanced at Harry his eyes filled with confusion. He turned back to Draco to ask, "What's it to you anyway, Malfoy?"

Harry placed his hands on Jonas's shoulders and gently pushed him away. Jonas got the message and stepped back, though he didn't look happy about it in the least. "It's like I was trying to tell you, Jonas, it's complicated. Draco and I were paired for the Ministry's repopulation thingy. I'm –I'm carrying his child."

Jonas looked like he'd been slapped in the face. "Oh," he mumbled. "I guess I just didn't think…I mean, my partner is pregnant now as well. But I just thought, since my duty was done, I was free to pursue you." In response to the horrified look Harry was giving him, Jonas clarified, "He's playing the field, too. We used to date but now we're friends, so we agreed to partner up…but ultimately leave each other free. I just really missed you, Harry." He whispered the last sentence so that Draco wouldn't hear.

"I'm sorry, Jonas. I don't think I can handle a relationship with you right now, not when I'm already trying to manage school and a pregnancy." 'And Voldemort' he thought.

Draco had moved closer and had taken a stance that clearly conveyed his displeasure: arms crossed over his chest, mouth set in a frown, feet planted firmly on the ground, eyes steely. Though he and Jonas were about the same height, Jonas was broader…yet Draco looked ready to, and fully capable of, kicking Jonas's ass. Harry fought to hide a grin as Draco spoke to Jonas. "I think you should leave now." His words were simple, but the warning in them was unmistakable.

Jonas narrowed his eyes, a strange look on him, Harry thought. Jonas was predisposed to warm smiles and laughter, not irritation and disagreements. 'And that's why he could never fit in my world.' His life was full of conflict, was one big conflict, really. He needed someone who could fight with him, when he was being an idiot, and beside him, whenever he needed support. When Jonas revealed the reason for his uncharacteristic expression, Harry was brought crashing back into reality. "I can see that I'm not wanted here anymore. But there's something you should know. Smith hasn't given up on his little crusade, so…watch your backs."

"You know about that?" Harry blurted, but Jonas had already begun to walk away. Harry turned back to face Draco, and whatever words he had been about to say caught in his throat.

Draco was staring at him intently, as if trying to decipher a particularly difficult code. Harry, feeling fairly relaxed now that the conflict was over, rested against the wall and stared back, waiting for Draco to speak. Finally, he did. "Where were you going, before he stopped you?"

"Hmmm? Oh, just outside for some air." Harry had been drifting in his thoughts, and it took him a moment to come back to the moment.

"I see. Well, let's go then." Draco took hold of Harry hand and headed down the front steps.

Harry followed, pulled by the hand Draco held. "You're coming with me?"

"Do you not want me to?" was Draco's cool response, but Harry could tell that if he said he didn't want Draco there, he would leave.

"No, I mean yes, I mean…I wouldn't mind some company." He sideways-smiled up at Draco, and saw the corner of Draco's mouth rise ever-so-slightly in response.

Grinning to himself, Harry looked down at the ground as they continued to walk side-by-side in silence. They walked that way for awhile; Harry finally looked up when they suddenly stopped. They were in an isolated alcove formed by the façade of Hogwarts. Draco was slowly pushing him toward the wall…or was Harry pulling Draco? Before Harry had much of a chance to figure it out, he stopped caring because Draco was kissing him, and he much preferred to occupy himself with kissing back.

Once Draco had claimed every bit of Harry's mouth, he moved on to his neck. "What is there between you and Fairweather?" he whispered between nips and kisses.

Harry, fuzzy from Draco-induced sensations, barely thought before he gasped out his answer. "Nothing, anymore."

Draco suddenly pulled back, looking Harry in the eyes. He seemed to always be searching Harry for answers while never asking his questions. "Anymore," was all he said.

Harry reached out, taking a hold of Draco's robes and pulled him closer, partially for the warmth but mostly because he just wanted to. "Yes, Draco, anymore. He was the first guy I dated, the first guy I kissed. We were together for less than two weeks. We realized we weren't right for each other, that it wasn't working, so we broke up. End of story."

"It didn't seem like it was the end of the story in Fairweather's opinion. He seemed to think you were exactly what he wanted." Draco kept his face controlled, but his eyes were shifting and shimmering like fire.

"But he's not what _I_ want, or what I need. He's not hard enough to be a permanent part of my world."

Draco's eyes glimmered as he moved a little closer to Harry, and Harry felt evidence of a different kind of interest than the one they were currently discussing. "Keep talking like that, though, and I will _definitely_ be hard enough."

Harry flushed deeply as he realized his double-entendre and looked away from Draco. His heart had already begun to beat more quickly at the sudden change in "subject".

Draco placed a cool hand against one of his flushed cheeks, using it to guide Harry face back towards his and dropping a gentle kiss on his lips. There was a shocking contrast between the passion that was building between then and the gentleness of the kiss that made Harry's head spin. "So you don't want him at all?"

"No."

"You want me." It was a statement, but there was a slight catch in Draco's voice at the end that suggested it was almost a question.

"Yes." Clear and concise.

Slowly, almost painfully so, Draco resumed his ministrations to Harry neck, gradually making his way to the mark there. When he finally reached it, he applied such a cruel pressure, accentuated by him magically elongated teeth, that Harry couldn't _not_ cry out. "Shhhh," Draco whispered into his ear. "Professors are running regular patrols of the grounds to catch deviants like us."

"I – I don't know if I can…" Harry whispered back.

"I know you can do it, Harry." After such wonderful words of encouragement, he renewed his attack on Harry's mark while also attempting to free Harry's lower half of clothing.

Harry made a small growling noise in his throat, still a noise but quieter than the alternative. Suddenly, as if a window had been thrown open, Harry was receiving a powerful and direct (and unintentional) message from Draco through his mark. It flooded through him with the throb of his heart. "_Mine. Mine. Mine. Mine_…" Harry was overcome with the need to somehow respond to this message, yet he had no outlet to do so. His hands scrambled helplessly across Draco's back and arms. "Draco, I need…" But he didn't know what he needed, exactly, and it was driving him crazy.

Draco had managed to divest them both of clothing on their lower halves, leaving the rest of them covered against the night chill. Something about seeing Draco's chest covered rankled Harry. He was in the middle of considering how he could better reach to partially remove Draco's shirt, when Draco helpfully supplied the solution for him. The blonde hoisted him up by his hips, and Harry wrapped his legs around Draco for support as if he'd been doing it all his life. His back hit the wall with a soft thud, but he was already busy undoing the top few buttons of Draco's shirt, getting access to the firm chest. Harry began to plant firm kisses along the newly exposed skin, and Draco made no move or sound indicating he should stop.

In fact, Draco was focused on another task, one that had Harry pausing in his kisses as he felt a still unfamiliar intrusion of a finger pressing against his entrance. He made a sound somewhere between "ahh" and "guckh", and Draco moved even more slowly. In an attempt to distract himself, Harry resumed lavishing kisses on Draco chest, and quickly focused in on the area below his left collarbone. He heard Draco moan, low and soft in his ear, and felt his arousal grow. They continued in this fashion until Harry was prepared.

Harry moved his kisses up Draco's neck and to his mouth, attempting to convey that Draco should continue. The message was clearly received, because Harry soon felt Draco shift their positions and suddenly he began to push himself inside of Harry. Overwhelmed, Harry let his head fall to Draco's shoulder for a moment, and Draco showered little kisses on his shoulder and neck as he slowly continued to move his hips forward. Once he'd gone as far as he could go, he held still and gave Harry a chance to adjust. Harry could feel him trembling with the effort of holding back, and tried to relax as much as possible.

"Okay," he whispered, and Draco began to move. It began slow and steady, but quickly progressed to a frantic pace as Harry began to push back. They both attempted to muffle their sounds of pleasure as much as possible, sometimes with kisses, sometimes burying their heads against the other's shoulder. As Harry approached his climax, he could sense that Draco was close as well, and again he felt compelled to kiss Draco's chest, just below his left collarbone. But, no, the draw was getting sharper, more specific, as their shared pleasure grew. He wanted –needed –to bite, to mark, to claim. All these thoughts swirled in Harry's hazy brain, and he allowed instinct to take over.

As he climaxed, he bit down on that particular spot. Draco's release came immediately afterward, his hands gripping Harry tightly.

Once Harry's mind began to clear, he became aware of his back pressed against the cold wall of Hogwarts, of Draco's breath ruffling his hair, and of the fact that his feet were back on the ground. Just as he started to reach for his pants where they'd been discarded in a nearby shrub, Draco cast a quick charm that put them both in order. He looked up at the blonde. "Thanks." He reached out his hand, and Draco took it, almost absentmindedly it seemed.

"Are you ever going to learn to do things the wizard way, Potter? You are one, after all."

'Wait. Was Draco, was he actually….no way! He couldn't actually be _teasing_ me! Not in such a light-hearted way.' But he was. And he was grinning.

"Maybe you'll just have to teach me," Harry said back. They walked in silence back to the main door of Hogwarts, and when they were in visual distance of the people inside Draco released Harry's hand.

"You go in first, I'll head in in a few minutes." Reluctantly, Harry walked away from Draco. "Harry," Draco called, and the brunette turned back towards him. "See you in our room."

"Alright," Harry responded, and offered a slight smile. He was actually quite tired after that little episode, he realized as he headed up the steps into the Entrance Hall. He caught sight of Ron and Hermione talking quietly at one of the tables in the Great Hall. When he caught Hermione's eye she made to stand up, but Harry gestured that she should stay, and that he was calling it a night. She seemed to get what he was trying to convey, because she nudged Ron and then they both waved to him. He waved back and then headed to his room.

When he got there, it was very dark and quiet, and he was exhausted. He sleepily removed his costume and fell back into bed. It was then that he realized that Draco had actually managed to return before him, and was already sound asleep. Smiling groggily to himself, Harry snuggled in under the blankets, wiggling his body as close to Draco's as he could get it. And then he was asleep.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yay! Lemon number two! No warning at the beginning this time...I wanted it to be a surprise! If that upset anyone, please let me know.

Anyway, I quite enjoyed writing this chapter, and I hope you all enjoyed it as well. See you for the next installment!


	18. Chapter 17 Truths in the Night

**AN: Ahh! I know, it's been so long since my last update! This chapter was almost finished and then, BAM!, midterms hit and I had absolutely no time!**

**However, I really like this chapter a lot, and I hope you do too!**

**____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

**Chapter 17 Truths in the Night**

Harry awoke from his nightmare with a soft gasp and his eyes snapped open. His gaze was locked to the ceiling as he gradually slowed his breathing. Once he'd calmed down a bit, his eyes began to wander. They took in the rumpled sheets of the bed, the soft play of moonlight across the little hills and valleys they created, and then with a jolt he realized that Draco was no longer lying beside him. It only took a moment for his gaze to follow the fold of blankets where they were alternately bunched up and stretched as they pooled around Draco's hips.

He was sitting on the edge of the bed with his back to Harry, his shoulders hunched. His elbows rested on his knees, and one hand came up to support his head. Harry could tell from the tension in his body and the meter of his breath that Draco was awake, which meant that he had heard Harry wake from his nightmare. He must have been doing something to give away his still-awake state as well, because Draco didn't seem the least bit surprised to hear Harry's voice pierce the silence.

"Draco?" It was a whisper, but it seemed to fill the air, lingering and spreading in soundless echoes. Harry allowed his concern to color his voice.

"Go back to sleep." Draco's words were clipped but soft, spoken almost on a sigh.

Harry hesitated for a moment before admitting the truth, or at least part of it. "I don't think I can close my eyes right now."

"Bad dream?"

"You could say that." When it didn't seem that Draco had a response for that, Harry prompted, "You?"

If it was possible, the blonde seemed to become even more tense. Just when Harry was sure he wouldn't receive an answer, Draco whispered, "Yeah, me too."

Thoughts spun through Harry's mind. This wasn't Draco's first nightmare since they had started sharing a room. He was extremely curious about the nightmares, but more than that he felt the need to provide some sort of comfort. After all, wasn't that something a boyfriend –or a lover –would do? But Harry _knew_ Draco, or at least he was starting to know him better, so he knew that if he went right for offering comfort Draco would brush him off and act like he didn't need someone to give him solace. No, the only way he could get Draco to drop some of his defenses was if he dropped his own first. It would feel good to tell someone about his nightmares. He'd stopped telling Ron and Hermione about them because a) it made them worry about him too much and b) it would always result in a lecture from Hermione about clearing his mind and blocking Voldemort out. Now the only person he told his dreams to was Dumbledore, and that was more a status report than a relief. But how much could he safely tell Draco? He was beginning to trust the blonde, and his instincts were telling him that trust was well-placed.

All these considerations passed through his mind in a matter of seconds, and then his decision was made. He scooted himself up in the bed so that he was leaning against the headboard and still facing Draco, and he bent his knees towards his stomach. Once he was settled comfortably, he took a slow steadying breath and then began to speak in a low voice.

"You've heard the rumors, I'm sure you have. About me and Voldemort begin connected. Well, while they contain a lot of lies and embellishments and inaccuracies, there is one key thing about them that is true. My mind and Voldemort's mind are connected." Draco's posture had become more alert. Harry could see it in the rise of his shoulders and head, in the slight straightening of his spine. He continued, "So sometimes when I'm sleeping and my mind is most relaxed, my consciousness gets sort of pulled into Voldemort's mind. It can happen when I'm awake, too, but it's mostly when I'm asleep. I see what he sees, feel what he feels, think what he thinks, basically become him, but there's still a piece of me there with him that feels sick and horrified and afraid. And I'm trapped there until I can wake up…"

He paused for a moment, taking another steadying breath, and when Draco continued to be silent he began to describe his dream. "Voldemort decided to celebrate Halloween in a really special way this year. He planned a big treat for all his lovely Death Eaters. He took them to a muggle village…pretty much everyone was asleep there. They just started breaking down doors and attacking. They used the most awful spells, on everyone…men, women, old, young, it didn't matter to them at all. Some of them enjoyed making little public displays, violating and humiliating their victims before killing them. They seemed to like saving the children for last, letting their parents feel the horror of not being able to protect them anymore, and the children watched as adult after adult was killed, mutilated, worse… And then they killed the children. It wasn't fast, and it wasn't clean, and it still wasn't over when I woke up."

At some point in his story, Harry had focused in on Draco's back where the path of his spine disappeared into his pajama pants. As he finished speaking, his focus shifted to Draco's head, trying to catch a glimpse of his face as he waited nervously for some sort of reaction. Finally, it came. "Shit, Potter, that was a seriously fucked up dream."

Harry felt a small laugh escape his lips, but the sound lacked any humor. "Yeah, and the worst part is knowing it's all real."

All at once the tension seemed to fly from Draco's body, and he collapsed into himself. "Are you all right now?"

Harry assessed himself and realized that as he had recalled the dream he had started trembling, and now he couldn't seem to stop. He felt sick to his stomach. And he seriously didn't think he could close his eyes at the moment. "Actually…" Harry's voice rasped on the word, and he cleared his throat. "Actually, I don't think I am."

After what felt like an eternity, Draco turned. His eyes locked on Harry, observing the tremors he was sure were visible. Harry didn't know how long they sat like that, frozen and staring at each other; he couldn't remember when he'd wrapped his arm across his middle, hugging himself and their baby.

The indefinable passage of time was brought to a close as Draco crawled the short distance across the bed to get to Harry. Green eyes looked up into warm grey pools, and some unnamable thing passed between them, beyond description. Draco lifted his hand to Harry face and Harry's breath caught. The lifted hand pushed a few locks of raven hair behind Harry's ear before the fingers trailed along his cheek down towards his neck and finally caressed his shoulder. Harry released his breath on a sigh, and before he could think about what he was doing, he slid forward and folded himself into Draco, wrapping his arms around his waist and burying his face in his collarbone.

Strong arms wrapped around him almost instantaneously, and he turned his head to kiss the exposed skin near his face in thanks. He felt a little puff of air through his hair as Draco gasped, and then he noticed the just-starting-to-heal bite mark on Draco's chest, right where he had just kissed him. Was it the same as the mark on his neck? Harry really didn't want to deal with explaining Hermione's findings to Draco right now, and he tensed in Draco's arms as he waited for the inevitable question.

But it never came. Instead, Draco gently moved them until they were lying under the covers, Draco on his back. Harry let his body and mind relax, trusting in the comfort and protection of Draco. He snuggled more comfortably into Draco's side, wrapping an arm across his stomach and pillowing his head on the strong chest where it started to meet a shoulder.

They lay there like that for several minutes, listening to the sound of their quiet breaths mixing together, but no matter how comfortable or relaxed Harry was, he couldn't fall asleep. His unease stemmed not only from his nightmare, but also from the fact that he'd set out to try to comfort Draco, and Draco had ended up comforting him instead.

"I can't sleep, can you?" he asked softly.

Draco shifted slightly. "No," he admitted.

Harry sighed. "Draco…" He wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to say without making it seem like he was pushing or prying. "I…I just want you to know…I can be a pretty good listener, you know, if there's ever anything…" he trailed off awkwardly, deciding that he'd totally failed to implement any tact.

"Very subtle, Harry." Harry felt a flush rise to his cheeks, but before he could feel the full force of his embarrassment, Draco began to speak again. "It was just a nightmare, you know. Nothing compared to what you just saw…"

Great. So in trying to make Draco feel like he could open up, he'd actually made Draco feel like even his _nightmares_ couldn't compare to Harry's. "I'm sure it's not true that it was nothing. And besides, my freaky Voldemort vision-dreams don't really count as nightmares. My regular, everyday nightmares are pretty lame stuff; failing tests, forgetting to wear clothes, that kind of thing."

Harry felt the quick rise and fall of Draco's chest as he uttered a soft, short laugh. "Is that really what you have nightmares about?"

Changing his position slightly, Harry took a moment to consider the question. As he tentatively began to speak his answer, his fingers absentmindedly trailed up Draco's side and began to draw lazy, swirling patterns across his taut stomach. "I suppose so. My nightmares, and my dreams, are usually weird mixtures of things from real life and the stuff in the back of my mind that I worry about. And memories."

"Memories?"

Harry's hand paused in its progress across Draco's skin for a split second before continuing its path. The memories that haunted Harry's dream-life weren't pleasant ones. The hesitation was extremely brief, but despite that Draco noticed it.

"I'm sorry…you don't have to answer," Draco backtracked.

Snuggling even closer to Draco, Harry released a huge sigh. It was a night for revealing truths, it seemed. "No, it's okay. Some of my worst memories, those are the ones that really stick, you know?"

"Yeah, I do," Draco agreed, and surprised Harry by sliding his hand in a gentle caress up and down the length of his back.

The light touch had Harry sighing for a completely different reason this time, and he suddenly felt that sharing his ghosts with Draco was simply _right_, like it was always what he was meant to do only he'd never realized it before that moment. "When I was younger, before I knew I was a wizard, it was always about my parents' deaths," Harry began. He could _feel_ Draco listening as he continued, "It was always very abstract then. I would hear my mother's scream, see a flash of green light, and wake up. Since I didn't know anything about magic, it was easy to believe they'd died in a car crash. You do know what a car is, right?"

Draco huffed. "I seem to recall you crashing one with flying capabilities into the Whomping Willow at the beginning of second year."

"Oh, right. Well, anyway, I think it was easier in a way when I thought it was a car crash, an accident, that had killed them. When I got my Hogwarts letter, met Hagrid, and learned the truth –learned that my parents had been murdered by a "bad wizard" while I somehow survived, and was therefore famous –almost in an instant everything changed. And over the years, being connected to Voldemort seems to have enhanced my memories…well, that, and the dementors."

"What do you mean the dementors? They make you miserable, make you relive the worst moment –oh, oh I see."

"Yeah, they made me see the night my parents died." Harry's voice sounded a little dead, even to himself. He cleared his throat and moved on to his next demon. "The vision-nightmares really started fourth year, and by the end of the year I had lots of new material for my subconscious to work with. Especially from the night of the Third Task, the night Cedric died." Harry couldn't prevent a slight shiver from passing through his body as he remembered that night, remembered seeing his friend murdered right in front of his eyes.

Draco's next question surprised Harry. "Was there something between you and Diggory?"

"What? No, I told you Jonas was my first boyfriend."

"You don't have to be dating someone for there to be something between you…"

Harry had to admit Draco was right, but that certainly wasn't the case with him and Cedric. "He was my friend, we respected each other, helped each other out, but that was all."

Draco nodded slowly, as if he were processing the information. "I understand. So…any other nightmare-fueling memories?"

Having already shared so much, Harry figured he might as well go all the way, get everything out in the open. "Just one other main thing, but it's…" his sentence cut off, hanging ominously in the silence, and Harry swallowed thickly. He generally tried not to think too much about… "Sirius. Sirius Black, my godfather, spent thirteen years in Azkaban for a crime he didn't commit. When he was finally free, and I learned the truth about his innocence, I was thrilled. I finally had family, someone like a parent."

"What about the muggles who raised you? You never considered them parents?"

Harry winced. "My aunt and uncle hated my parents and hate magic. Growing up they made me do household chores, sleep under the stairs, and wear all my cousin's hand-me-down clothes. And they never missed an opportunity to tell me what a useless freak I was. So, no, I never considered them anything more than the people I was stuck with."

Draco was quiet for a moment, and then prompted Harry to continue by asking, "So Sirius was the closest thing you had to a father?"

Hearing Draco, who had of course read about Sirius's death in the Daily Prophet, speak of his godfather in the past tense made Harry's throat start to close off as he attempted to suppress his tears. "Yes, he was. And at the end of fifth year, Voldemort sent me a false vision, tricked me into thinking he'd captured Sirius. Like the idiot Gryffindor that I am, I rushed off to save him. Like the idiot Gryffindor he is –was" Harry swallowed despite the fact that his mouth had gone dry, "…he rushed off to save _me_. He died because I acted like a fool, and he wanted to protect me. My actions, instead of saving him, led to his death." Harry couldn't stop himself from putting the awful cherry on top of his miserable sundae. "And then I got to go spent the summer with my muggle relatives."

The room was very quiet for a few minutes as all the information Harry had just dispensed sunk in. Eventually, Draco spoke. "You're so different from what I always thought you were."

"I could say the same about you." Harry lifted his head and propped it on the hand not creating designs on Draco's stomach. Draco looked up at him, meeting his eyes in the calmest and most open expression Harry had ever seen on him. Harry felt the need to add on to his previous statement. "I'm glad that you aren't like what I thought." He lowered his head to kiss Draco's forehead, cheek, and finally his lips. Brief, tender brushes against the pale skin. He continued his trail of kisses until he'd returned to Draco's shoulder, and he settled back into the position he'd been in before. He was actually starting to feel sleepy now, and he ceased the movement of his fingers that had been drawing paths across Draco's stomach and settled for resting his hand flat against Draco's muscled chest.

Draco's soft voice, when it broke the quiet, pulled Harry's attention like a magnet. "It always starts with that night on the tower, with Dumbledore offering me and my parents' protection. Sometimes I accept, sometimes I kill him, sometimes I run away, but no matter what I choose in that moment it always ends the same. It doesn't matter what I do differently from that moment on, how much I try to protect them. In the end, it's always my parents on the other end of my wand, and I cast the Killing Curse without hesitation. Because I want to, or because Voldemort tells me to, or just because they're there, the reason never seems to even matter to me. At that point, I simply kill to kill. That's what I become."

A heavy silence pervaded the air as Harry processed Draco's words. Finally, he was able to speak. "But Draco, that could never happen. The Draco I know, the Draco I…care about…could never become that person. He's protective and loyal and even brave sometimes. He would do anything to protect his family…they mean everything to him, even if he can never show it. The only thing the Draco that's holding me and the Draco at the end of your dream have in common is a name. And a conflicted subconscious, perhaps, but that's understandable." Harry tightened his hold on Draco slightly as he finished talking.

"How can you be so sure? You don't really know me that well…"

"I know what's important. I trust my instincts. I trust you."

"You shouldn't. Lately, there's been a change in the dreams…"

"Oh?"

"I don't just murder my parents…I kill you and the baby, too."

Harry felt a tremor run through Draco's body, supposedly as he recalled his most recent nightmare. "Draco…" Harry rolled onto his back, pulling Draco's far arm so that he would roll to his side facing him. Gently, Harry slid his grip from Draco's arm to Draco's hand, guiding it towards the very slight bump on his abdomen and capturing it there underneath his own hands. "We are both here, and we're fine. And with you here to look after us, we'll stay that way. I'm not worried…I don't want you to be worried, either."

They stayed in that position for a moment as Draco lowered his head, nuzzling it in Harry neck and releasing a huge sigh there. "Okay," he breathed, "I'll try." Then he surprised Harry, guiding him to roll onto his side as well and then pulling him close so his back was held tight against Draco's chest and Draco's arm wrapped around his middle. The weight and warmth was soothing, and Harry sighed. He heard Draco sighing at the same time, and a small smile graced his lips. Just as he was on the edge of sleep, a horrible thought came to him and he groaned.

"What?" Draco mumbled, clearly having been nearly asleep himself.

"Quidditch tryouts tomorrow. When I don't try out, the reason is going to be obvious to everyone. I'm sure word will spread in no time."

"So much for a peaceful weekend." Draco paused. "Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"It's going to be okay."

"I believe you," Harry whispered. And it was entirely true.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sooooo... Happy Halloween!

Harry and Draco are starting to act like a real couple! Yay!

See you for the next chapter...hopefully in a shorter amount of time than you had to wait for this one ;)


	19. Chapter 18 Troubles, Solutions, and More

**AN: Okay, so I have learned something. I should stop trying to promise to have a new chapter by a certain deadline, because that just sets us all up for dissappointment. Honestly, I wanted to get a chapter out waaaaaayyy sooner than this, but the combination of writer's block and finals made that damn near impossible. So, I just want to say thank you to everyone for being patient with me!**

**Consider this chapter my Christmas gift to you, and for those of you who don't celebrate Christmas, consider it my December 25th present to you ;)**

**Happy Holidays, everybody! I hope you enjoy the season and the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 18** **Troubles, Solutions, and More Troubles**

Someone was banging on the door. And yelling. Why? And why couldn't Harry move? Ah, yes, that would be because Draco was currently wrapped around him like a blanket. Then again, Harry was so comfortable he didn't really feel like moving anyway. Nice of Draco to give him a good excuse not to move. Harry sighed, settling in to return to sleep.

But there came the banging and the yelling again. Harry's hearing was clearing up, and he thought he might recognize the voice… "Harry, I'm serious! It's the middle of the day! If you don't answer the door in thirty seconds, I'm getting Dumbledore!"

Harry heard a groan close to his ear before Draco whispered, "You better answer the bloody door before Weasley involves the whole school."

As the final dregs of sleep cleared from Harry's mind, he understood that it was Ron who was at the door yelling, and Hermione was with him judging by the muffled admonishments he could hear between Ron's yelling. Reluctantly, Harry rolled out of bed and threw on a t-shirt as he moved towards the door. "I'm coming," he called out for good measure. He wasn't sure how soon his thirty seconds would be up.

The portrait opened to reveal the anxiously concerned faces of Harry's two best friends. Once their eyes had taken him in, they wandered to the room beyond. "You were _both_ still sleeping?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"Well, um, yeah. We both had some trouble sleeping last night…"

"I guess that's not such a surprise, considering you have to share a bed with _him_." Harry felt a pulse of irritation, and then started when he realized it hadn't come from him. And that meant… His train of thought was interrupted as Ron continued, "Anyway, mate, you missed Gryffindor's tryouts completely. We tried to wake you up, but…" he shrugged.

"It's alright, it's probably best that I wasn't there anyway. So tell me, how bad is it?"

"Well, the overall line-up's not too bad. The chasers are really strong, and the beaters are fairly good. Obviously nobody can compare with you as a seeker…"

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I meant, how much are people talking? Have they already come to the conclusion that I'm pregnant? Should I expect to see an announcement in the Evening Prophet?"

Hermione chimed in. "There's been plenty of whispering going on since everyone realized you weren't there, but that's just Hogwarts, isn't it? But I don't think you need to worry about the press. Dumbledore made an announcement at breakfast this morning," she shot him a look that said, 'where you should have been', "that any students caught passing information about their fellow students to anyone outside of Hogwarts would be facing immediate expulsion. He said he's put several things into action that will assure that such students _will_ be caught. As much as they love to gossip, I don't think many would be willing to risk being expelled."

Harry released a sigh of relief. They were in the clear for a bit longer, then. He wasn't deceiving himself, he knew the news would get out eventually, but he was hoping to put off 'eventually' for as long as possible. "So why did the two of you feel the need to break down my door? I was finally getting some sleep." 'Thanks to Draco," he added mentally.

"When you didn't answer, we were worried that something was wrong, that you were sick or hurt. We didn't want to just barge in, so we were giving Ron's yelling approach one more try before we involved any of the professors. Besides, if you sleep all day you won't be able to sleep properly come night time." Hermione's tone revealed that she was currently in a mothering mode.

Harry rolled his eyes, stopping when he caught the deadly gleam in Hermione's eyes. "Right. Well, just give me a minute and I'll be out, ok?"

"Sure, mate," Ron responded cheerfully.

Harry didn't want to think too much about the possible sources of Ron's good mood, so he simply nodded before shutting the portrait and turning to face Draco. Draco, who was already out of bed and methodically pulling his Quidditch things on. As Harry also started to dress, he whispered, "Good luck, Draco. I know you'd be brilliant even without luck, but…" he trailed off awkwardly and shrugged, looking down at his shoes in hopes of hiding his embarrassment.

He heard the soft padding of footsteps across the floor, and before he knew it he was being guided to come face to face with Draco. Fathomless grey eyes briefly searched confused green ones. Again, Harry felt a pulse of feeling –this time gratitude –that wasn't his own. If his theory was correct, he and Draco had somehow increased their magical connection…and Draco had a right to know. "Draco," he started, "there's something I need to tell you…"

"Can you tell me later?" Draco asked, cutting Harry off. "I want to have time to get warmed up before tryouts start."

"Yeah, no problem." Draco nodded, turning to leave the room. Before he could go, Harry softly called out to him. "Draco?" Once the blonde had turned back to face him, Harry finished, "I'll be watching from a window somewhere, cheering you on."

Draco's only response was a soft smile. Then, before Harry's eyes, the gentle face transformed into the cold mask he'd loathed for so many years and Draco burst through the portrait hole, completely ignoring Hermione's cry of surprise and Ron's indignant shouts.

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. Harry managed to see Draco's tryout from the library window, and he did an excellent job in Harry's opinion. Maybe not as good as _he_ could have done, but…that was a pointless train of thought anyway. The trickiest part was deflecting the questions from Ron and Hermione, but he managed to scrape together some kind of reasonable excuse and then they left him alone.

Hermione hadn't had any new information about Mark Magic, and now Harry was faced with attempting to explain to Draco something about which he had incomplete information at best. He entered their room cautiously, to find Draco bent over several books and papers on his desk. Not wanting to interrupt, Harry made his way as quietly as he could to the bathroom. But when he came out, Draco was perched on the edge of the bed as if waiting for him. Which, it turned out, was exactly what he was doing. "Was there something you wanted to tell me, Harry?"

"Um, yeah." Harry took a seat on the bed next to Draco and haltingly explained everything he and Hermione had pieced together so far. Draco didn't speak throughout the whole thing, and seemed to become more and more withdrawn as Harry spoke.

When Harry was completely finished, Draco stood and stiffly made his way towards the bathroom.

"Draco? Please, at least _say_ something!"

When Draco continued to ignore him and headed into the bathroom, Harry rushed to follow. By the time Harry entered the bathroom, Draco had already pulled his shirt off. His back was to Harry, but he obviously heard him come in, because the next thing Harry knew the blonde was yelling. "Fuck, Potter, can't I get a little privacy!"

Harry was momentarily taken aback. It seemed like it had been a long time since Draco had spoken to him that way, and they had become closer after last night. A strong ripple of hurt passed through him, and the next minute he saw Draco's face pucker as if he had felt it. Maybe he had. Harry filled his lungs with air. "No, not until you tell me what you think of all this!"

"You can go to hell, Potter! You have no right to know every little thing I'm feeling!"

"Is _that_ what this is about? Draco, I know it's a bit freaky at first, but…"

Harry never got to finish his sentence, as it was drowned out by a furious roar from Draco, and he didn't attempt to repeat himself since he was a bit preoccupied by the wand Draco was suddenly pointing at him.

It was fascinating, Harry would reflect later, to watch the way Draco's face –especially his eyes –changed in the next several moments. From hard and forbidding to stormy and conflicted before finally becoming vulnerable and horrified. His voice, when he found it, was transformed as well. Harry, still frozen to the spot, could only listen, and notice how the scar roping across Draco's torso looked even more shocking under the harsh bathroom lights. "I– Merlin, Harry, I'm sorry. No matter how upset I am, it is unacceptable for me to point a wand at you like that. I could've hurt you, I could've…"

Draco didn't have to finish for Harry to know what he was thinking, especially in light of last night's revelations about Draco's nightmares. Harry regained control of his motor functions and took a few tentative steps towards Draco. "No, you couldn't or, at least, you wouldn't. Draco…it's ok, just take a deep breath." It was the oddest thing, Draco seemed to be suddenly overcome by emotions, a state Harry had never really seen him in before. Gently he took hold of his arm and led him back to their room.

"So sorry…shouldn't have…might have…so sorry," Draco was mumbling under his breath.

For a moment Harry was at a loss as to what he should do. Then he got an idea. Draco's shirt was conveniently already off, so it was easy for him to lean forward and place a gentle kiss on the mark on his chest. It seem to succeed in brining Draco back to the moment, as he stopped mumbling and shivered slightly from the contact and, Harry suspected, flow of emotions from him. Nervously, he lifted his eyes to Draco's.

"I don't understand, Harry. How can you feel concern and…tenderness…for me, when I'm so horrible, when I put you in danger?"

"Oh, Draco, I obviously wasn't really in any danger. Look at how you're reacting. Besides," he rested his finger on the front of Draco's shoulder where his scar started, "I've done much worse damage to you." Slowly, gently, he let his fingers trail along the path of the scar, and Draco shivered. "Does it hurt?"

"No, but," Draco grabbed his wrist, stopping Harry's hand in its path, "it feels…" he seemed to be searching for the right word, and Harry thought he saw it in Draco's eyes.

"Vulnerable?" he suggested.

"Yes, that." At some point, they had begun to whisper, and now they couldn't seem to stop.

Gently, Harry pushed Draco towards their bed, guiding him to lie on his back and straddling his hips. He lowered his mouth to take the place of his hand on the path down Draco's scar, placing warm, tender kisses along the sensitive flesh. Draco's breath started to come out in short pants, and Harry could feel his pulse beating rapidly through his veins.

As Harry mouth arrived at the end of Draco's scar, Harry found his own pulse beating quickly as well. He had had to push down the waist of Draco's pants to reach the point where the scar melted back into unblemished skin, and he was suddenly anxiously awake of his proximity to Draco's growing arousal.

"Harry, relax, you don't have to…"

But Harry made a snap decision and deftly removed Draco's pants to reveal…Harry gulped. How in Merlin's name had _that _gone inside of him? But, he was a brave Gryffindor, after all, so he summoned his courage and lowered his mouth.

It wasn't enjoyable, exactly, but it also wasn't completely horrible. Draco was gradually coming completely undone as Harry experimented with his tongue and teeth, and made very interesting sounds as he did so. In fact, Harry was quite hard himself.

He pulled back to catch his breath, and in a heartbeat their positions had been reversed. Draco's mouth moved frantically and Harry bit his lip to keep from crying out as he felt warmth begin to pool in the pit of his stomach. Draco shifted to kissing Harry's mouth and began to fist both of their erections together. It only took a few deft pulls of his hand to bring them both over the edge.

The two fell asleep almost instantly, tangled together as they hastily, but sluggishly, tried to get under the blankets. But they were not destined to sleep soundly. That evening's events had hit too close to home where Draco's fears were concerned, and a steamy reconciliation was not enough to keep the nightmares at bay. This time when he woke, he and Harry were so wrapped up together that Harry woke immediately. As they had done the previous night, they talked to and comforted each other until they were both ready to sleep again.

* * *

Over the next several weeks they fell comfortably into a routine that loosely followed the pattern of that night's events, and after some time they both managed to have more nights uninterrupted by nightmares. And should one of them wake upset or frightened, they came to trust that the other would soothe them.

And so that was how they arrived at the first snow storm of the season, late in November. They were in Thursday morning Potions, finishing a potion they had begun in Monday's class when Harry suddenly felt overwhelmed by the odor being released by all the potions. He grabbed Draco's sleeve under the cover of their table, and Draco turned his head slightly towards him to indicate he was listening. "…think I'm gonna be sick," Harry managed to gasp out as he wrapped one arm around his stomach.

"Is there a problem here, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked in his most dangerously taunting voice.

Harry felt a twinge of annoyance from Draco to supplement his own while he tried to calm his sudden nausea enough to respond. "Just that I feel as if I'm about to…" he didn't make it through his entire sentence, instead having to cover his mouth as he felt the urge to puke all over the Potions classroom floor. The next moment he heard Draco speak a few terse sentences to Snape under his breath before taking a firm hold of his arm and leading him from the room.

Harry felt immediate relief in the clear air of the hallway, and could finally hear what Draco was saying. "…get you to Madame Pomfrey and find out what's wrong. I'm sure she'll be able to sort you out in no time."

As they walked further and further away from the potion fumes, Harry's stomach seemed to settle. "I think I'm okay now, Draco, it must have just been the smell of that potion. It–" As they entered the Medical Wing, another smell, different but just as horrible, invaded Harry's lungs and he threw up on the spot.

In no time Pomfrey had his sick cleaned up and had him on one of the beds, Draco hovering anxiously in the background. "Tell me what you're feeling, dear," Pomfrey requested, and Harry explained what he was experiencing. Pomfrey then proceeded to cluck her tongue, perform a slew of diagnostic spells in quick succession, and then nod to herself. At the moment Harry found this behavior very annoying, and Draco seemed to agree.

"Well, what is it? Is he okay? And the baby?" He fixed Pomfrey with a no-nonsense look that was impossible to ignore.

"Mr. Potter is fine; he's simply experiencing morning sickness. It's completely normal at this point in a pregnancy. Nothing to be too worried about."

"Great, so is there a potion or something I can take?" Now that he'd gotten sick, Harry actually felt much better.

"There is. Unfortunately, it is recommended that you avoid any potion that is not essential to the health of you or your baby while you are pregnant, to avoid exposing the fetus to any unnecessary risk."

"Oh. Well, I won't take it then. How long does morning sickness last?"

"Hmm, no more than six weeks…"

"What?!"

* * *

Despite the morning's events, Harry felt well enough to attend his afternoon Transfiguration and evening Astronomy classes, although Draco would have preferred him to take the remainder of the day to "rest". There were no more instances of 'morning sickness', but Harry was still fairly exhausted when he arrived in his room that night. He was starting to notice the extra weight he was carrying around, and now had a just noticeable baby bump. Of course it wasn't likely to get much bigger, but still…

Harry paused when he realized Draco was sitting in their bed watching him. "Draco? What is it?" He could sense that something was wrong.

Draco gestured for Harry to join him on the bed. Harry quickly made his way there and settled against the pillows next to Draco. "I guess you haven't heard then."

"Heard what?"

"Every pair of seventh years has now officially gotten pregnant…Harry, they're sending us all back to our dorms."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed for the second time that day. "Why?"

"They say the only reason we got private rooms was to conduct our 'private business', but now that's all taken care of and we can just 'move on'."

It sounded like Draco was quoting from a source. "Where did you hear this, Draco?"

"I eavesdropped on that Ministry official, Strom, talking to Dumbledore."

Harry nodded slowly. "Well, what are we going to do? How will we see each other? We already spend our days pretending to be indifferent towards one another at best. And the nightmares… Please tell me you have an idea."

From the miserable look on Draco's face, he didn't. They sat in thoughtful silence for some time, eventually rising to prepare for bed before returning to their previous spots. Finally, Harry spoke the only words he felt were necessary at this point. "Come here."

Draco looked at him then with an intense intimacy that took Harry's breath away. He grabbed hold of Draco's arms to support him as he lowered his body to the bed, and then pulled Draco down on top of him. Draco kissed him briefly on the mouth before trailing kisses down his neck. "This may be our last chance to do this for a while."

Harry placed a gentle kiss on Draco's neck before whispering back, "I know." His voice sounded desperate, even to his own ears.

After that, no more words were spoken except in broken gasps. Their clothes were removed in short order, their mouths moved desperately together, and their bodies stained towards each other until they couldn't get any closer. Draco ran a hand gently down the length of Harry's body, starting at his neck, then smoothing over his chest, catching a nipple, grazing along the side of his rib cage and past his hip bone where he finally grasped Harry's thigh. He used that to guide Harry's knee back, and Harry ran with the gesture, almost automatically wrapping his legs around Draco's back.

Soon they were both ready, but Draco paused. He shifted slightly and then sat up, pulling Harry into his lap. Harry felt his eyes widen at the new position, but trusted Draco enough by now to not be worried. He steadied his arms against Draco's shoulders and forced himself to continue breathing deeply and calmly as Draco slowly guided himself inside of Harry's body. It took less time for Harry to adjust now, as they had had sex quite a few times in the past weeks, but he still felt as overwhelmed as he had the first few times.

His head fell back and he completely forgot about moving. Fortunately, Draco was more than willing to help. He placed his hands on Harry's hips and began to guide his movements. They began slow and measured, but it didn't take long before both of them were gasping desperately and their tempo reached a feverish pitch. Harry felt the familiar sensation of warmth pooling in his abdomen and he and Draco came within seconds of each other.

Despite their exhaustion, Draco carefully pulled out of Harry before gently lowering him to the mattress. He then proceeded to whisper a few quick cleansing charms, pull the blankets over them, and then draw Harry toward him. Harry moved willingly, wrapping himself into the comforting warmth Draco offered. He nuzzled his face against Draco's chest and, finding his mark quite near, placed a tender kiss there. Draco sighed and allowed his fingers to briefly brush Harry's mark, and Harry felt a flood of contentment, affection, and, underneath those, a hint of concern.

The two snuggled even closer together, both wishing tomorrow didn't have to come at all.

* * *

:D Stay tuned! My excitement for this story was rejuvinated in part by watching the HBP movie the other night with my family. I couldn't help but have secret thoughts about Harry and Draco, hehehe

Good thing my parents can't read my mind... XP


	20. Chapter 19 Strange to Hermione

**AN: Okay, so I know it's been a ridiculously long time since I've updated this story, but I swear I never forgot about it. It just had to stay on my mental backburner through my crazy-busy spring semester. Unfortunatly, school work, eating, sleeping, and usually cleaning, laundry, and bathing have to come before fanfics :( I didn't even get to READ any fics this past semester! **

**Beyond that, all I will say is thank you for your patience and support, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 19 Strange to Hermione**

The official announcement came during breakfast on Friday morning, and by Friday night all of the seventh years' possessions had been moved back to their regular dorms. Harry and Draco had had no time to themselves in the course of the day, so Harry was exceedingly grateful that they had some forewarning thanks to Draco's eavesdropping, and that they had at least gotten to say goodbye Thursday night.

Harry tried desperately to hold onto that gratefulness as he sat alone in the Gryffindor common room a week later. Well, he wasn't _technically_ alone, as Ron and Hermione were of course there with him, as well as a bunch of other Gryffindors. After all, everything had supposedly gone back to the way it had always been. Except that it wasn't the same.

The most obvious change was of course that before all this, half the seventh years hadn't been pregnant. That change in and of itself wasn't what transformed the environment of Hogwarts, though, but the _side effects _of that change.

Before, Ron and Hermione would not have sat together as they did now, Ron's arm casually thrown over Hermione's shoulders as he attempted (or at least pretended to attempt) to study her history notes while she devoured yet another mammoth-sized book. Gone were the awkwardness, tension, and confused misunderstandings that had been hallmarks of their relationship almost since they had met.

Before, various people from the other houses hadn't come and gone through the Gryffindor common room on a regular basis; now they often came to visit their new significant others. Quite a few of the Gryffindors seemed to have ended up in good matches, judging by the number of pairs that had stayed together. Harry's eyes narrowed as he watched two such visitors sitting with their Gryffindor counterparts. As with so many other aspects of his life, it wasn't _fair_! Why did they get to be together while he had to pretend to mostly ignore the person he so passionately wished could be by his side? In the past week since moving out, he and Draco had barely spoken to each other, let alone managed any physical contact. As he watched all the happy couples that were free to talk, touch, snuggle, kiss –hell, at this point even eye-contact seemed enviable –he felt a sudden certainty that this would slowly drive him insane.

As he felt the sensation of misery and loneliness crash over him –a sensation that was quickly becoming familiar –he pulled his feet up onto his chair with him, bending his knees and wrapping his arms around them. He stared blankly at the red and gold wall, hoping to lull his mind into a state of thoughtlessness. 'At least nobody's harassing me,' he thought, but he thought too soon.

"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione's voice was full of motherly concern, as it so often seemed to be these days when she spoke to him. What he wouldn't give for a low, soft whisper close to his ear, the tone carrying nothing but comfort. What he wouldn't give for even one minute with Draco…

He sighed heavily before answering; he just couldn't seem to help himself. "I'm fine, Hermione. I guess I'm a bit tired, but that's to be expected I suppose." It wasn't really a lie, considering the week he'd had.

Hermione nodded sympathetically, sufficiently convinced, and nudged Ron to change positions. Once they had settled, he was leaning against the end of the couch and she against his chest. Harry's arms tightened around his legs, and his eyes closed briefly as he attempted to pretend they were Draco's. But it was no good…Draco's arms were bigger, stronger, and managed to actually provide some comfort. He couldn't contain a slight shiver as he recalled one result that came of lacking the sheltering embrace.

Twice this week Harry had awoken from horrifying vision-dreams courtesy of Voldemort, and with no Draco there, he had spent the remainder of those nights trying just as futilely to console himself, staring wide-eyed at his bed's canopy. Once that was combined with the three regular nightmares he'd also had, he hadn't ended up getting much sleep. Unfortunately for Harry, exhaustion had so far not proven itself a very good sleep aide.

And on top of everything, his morning sickness hit like clockwork every day at breakfast, making it impossible to eat during the actual meal time but starving before his morning class was even halfway over with. He, Ron, and Hermione had finally resorted to taking it in turns to smuggle food from the Great Hall so Harry could sneak bites during class when the Professors weren't looking.

Harry shook his head as if trying to clear mental cobwebs. He wasn't going to get any work done when he was this tired and miserable, and anyway, it was Friday, so he didn't really need to. Ron and Hermione were quite content with each other's company so they wouldn't really miss him. With another sigh he stood, mumbled goodnight, and headed to bed.

As he snuggled as deep as he could under his blankets, he carried one desperate thought in his mind. 'Please let us find a way to be together. I…I _need_ him…' He was exhausted enough that he drifted off quickly; the problem he always encountered was _staying_ asleep. That night it was neither a vision nor a nightmare that tormented him. It was a dream like the ones he'd been having before he and Draco had officially gotten together, the type of dream that cut so deeply simply because of the inevitable realization, upon waking, that it wasn't real.

Saturday was clear and cool, a perfectly lovely day for the first of December. But it didn't feel particularly good to Harry, though the sun did feel good warming his skin. It had warmed up enough that some of the snow had started to melt, so he hadn't bothered with a warming charm. Sighing, he took a bite of the sandwich he'd grabbed from the Great Hall on his way out. He looked up as he felt someone sit beside him, a wild hope temporarily flaring in him that it was Draco.

"How are you feeling Harry?"

"I'm fine Hermione." He sighed again. He was tired of being asked that question.

Hermione gently touched his arm. "Sorry, Harry, but that's obviously not true. I'm not trying to be a nag or anything, I'm just concerned for you. You seem really down…" he opened his mouth to protest, yet again, that he had many reasons to feel miserable, even if he knew those weren't exactly the true reasons in and of themselves. Hermione cut him off before he got one syllable out, "…and I KNOW you've been having trouble with the nightmares and the morning sickness and generally feeling crappy, but Harry let's be honest, that's not exactly new to your life! Well, except the morning sickness." She grinned slightly, and Harry felt something inside of him relax a little as he grinned back. Then Hermione's expression returned to one of worry. "Please, Harry, you know you can talk to me. What's wrong?"

Harry was torn. On the one hand, it would be really nice to be able to talk to Hermione about how he was feeling. She was good with stuff like that, and she would probably be able to help him. On the other hand, he and Draco had decided that no one, not even those closest to them, should know about their feelings unless or until it was unavoidable. This was avoidable. But he couldn't bring himself to flat out lie to Hermione, either. So he opted to not say anything at all.

This time it was Hermione who sighed. "Oh, Harry. Sometimes you are the most infuriating person to love."

Harry's head jerked up slightly in surprise. She'd used the "love" word so easily, so casually. He wasn't surprised that she felt that way –he knew that all three members of the trio loved each other one way or the other –but for her to just _say_ it like that. There was just something about it that seemed so bare to him, naked and vulnerable. He could see how much his silence was hurting Hermione, and suddenly he couldn't allow it to go on, couldn't keep hurting her. So he decided to tell her _part_ of the truth. He cleared his throat. "The, um, the dreams are back."

In an instant, he saw Hermione's demeanor uplifted as she realized he was letting her help him. "The dreams about Malfoy? Are they the same as before?"

Harry shook his head. "They're similar, but different. Actually, lately Draco hasn't even been in them. The only consistent thing about them is that they always manage to make me feel miserable."

"I'm sorry Harry, I wish I had more answers for you. I did realize something in my research of Mark magic, though."

Harry perked up. "Oh?"

She nodded as she began speaking animatedly. "I started off my research with a few of the books I found, and each time I finished one book I would go back to the library for the next one. However, I ran out of books containing information about the subject rather quickly. And all the information I did find was quite basic and limited. I'm pretty sure it's not an approved topic to be researching."

Harry contemplated that for a moment. "But why? What's the harm?"

"It can be extremely dangerous to form this kind of connection. Just think about it…look what Voldemort did with it." She shivered, though whether from the cold or from the thought, Harry wasn't sure. "Anyway, the dreams are probably what I said before, your subconscious telling you to complete the connection…though I've no idea why they would have stopped and then returned in a new form…" Harry thought he might have some idea why, but he wasn't going to tell Hermione that. "One other thing," Hermione continued. "I read in one of the books that in these situations, the magic of the two people involved is always connected, at least by a tenuous thread. So every so often you might feel a little tug on your magic, but it's nothing to be worried about. If you had completed the Union by marking Malfoy, that connection would be much stronger. You would have been able to send emotions to each other, maybe even communicate telepathically. That certainly would have been strange!"

"Yeah," Harry agreed absently. Hermione was still saying something, but Harry wasn't really listening. Telepathic communication? He could talk to Draco without anyone having any idea. When he woke feeling horrible, he could find comfort in Draco's words if not his arms. He resolved to try it in their next class together –Double Potions on Monday morning –which was perfect, since he usually hardly paid attention in that class anyway. Before they'd been separated, Draco had been helping him with Potions and he had improved quite a bit. He didn't have that luxury any more though.

Possibility after possibility unfolded in his mind, all the ways this telepathy could improve his life. Now if only he knew how to go about it.

Harry was sulking. It was Thursday and he was eating dinner…or rather pushing it around his plate moodily. At first his fellow Gryffindors asked what was up, was he okay, and tried to get him to join the conversation. Eventually, though, they saw that he wasn't going to be coaxed out of his bad mood, and that it was better to just leave him alone.

His friends were right. He wasn't about to let go of his bad mood, because he had a damn good reason for it! In every class they shared, Harry had tried to connect telepathically with Draco. In Potions, DADA, and Transfiguration he'd only half paid attention to the professor, because he was using the other half of his brain to think "Draco, can you hear me?" over and over again and focusing on sending the thought to Draco. But it was all for naught. He'd made absolutely no progress at all.

Today in Transfiguration he'd been especially determined. He'd had an extremely off-putting dream the night before that had put him even more on edge and made him want to talk to Draco more than ever.

He slumped further towards the table as he recalled his dream. _He was walking through a huge grassy field under a blue sky dotted with fluffy clouds. The idyllic scene was further enhanced by a magical quality of the grass, for as he walked, each blade of grass he moved rang with a pure note. Most of the time the many notes created harmonies with each other, but every so often a touch of dissonance would sneak into the tune, sending a jolt through him. He paused to listen to a particularly glorious chord when suddenly his attention was drawn upward by a flock of doves flying overhead. At first he smiled, feeling peaceful. But then he saw it. Something following them, something shadowy. It was stalking them, closing in on its prey! He had to warm them! He opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. He panicked. He had to help them! It was his responsibility; he was supposed to protect them! In desperation, he tried to call for Draco. Again, no sound passed his lips, but he was screaming just as loudly with his mind. Draco had to hear, had to come. He was the one who… The silent grass suddenly chimed again, and Harry turned towards the sound hoping it was Draco, but deep down knowing he wasn't exactly right… He started to turn, and…_ That's when he woke up trembling and covered in sweat, a lone tear sliding down his cheek.

In an attempt to comfort himself, and as a distraction from the thoughts of last night's disconcerting dream, Harry tried to imagine that he had turned and found Draco there ready to help. He imagined how the strands of blond hair would look as they caught in the breeze, how his eyes would be the color and texture of a frozen lake reflecting the sky, how his mouth would automatically quirk into his signature smirk as if to say, "I am in no way surprised that you need my help, and I'm perfectly confident I can give it to you." Building on the image he had created, Harry speculated on what Draco would be thinking or feeling in that moment. Obviously he'd be feeling protective, a little smug and proud that he could be as such, and he would be projecting confidence. At least on the surface. Underneath, he'd be worried for the safety of Harry and their child, nervous that he might not be able to protect them like he should, and terrified that _he_ might truly be the threat to their safety.

In that moment, Harry held a clear and full picture of Draco in his mind, and all the things about Draco that he liked and cared about flooded through his mind on the tail of all the things he found annoying and frustrating. Suddenly, he experienced a moment in which he felt as if he'd been simultaneously doused with ice water and set on fire. As soon as he felt it, it was gone. 'Huh, that was weird' he thought.

'Harry?' He jumped. He'd just heard Draco's…inside his head. He'd managed a telepathic connection! 'Harry, what's going on? Why am I hearing you in my mind?'

'Hermione mentioned something to me that she found in her research, about how we might be able to communicate with each other this way if we had completed the Union, which we actually did even though _she_ doesn't know that, and I've been trying connect to you all week! It figures that I got it to work when I wasn't even really trying.'

'Wow, your thoughts are extremely rambling. Hang on.' Harry felt Draco's attention waver from their conversation as he spoke with someone at his own table. He took the opportunity to check on the situation at his own table, and found that most everyone was still content to leave him alone, though he noticed his friends casting worried glances his way every so often. His focus slipped back inward as Draco began to "talk" to him again. 'You weren't trying? So how did you manage it?'

Harry considered for a moment. 'Well, I was thinking about this dream I had last night.' He briefly recapped the dream for Draco. 'It was seriously creeping me out every time I thought about how it ended, so I decided to imagine a new ending where…' Harry trailed off as he considering how embarrassing this admission might be. Draco waited silently and, mostly, patiently. 'An ending where you were there when I turned, there to give me the help I needed. I pictured how you would look, imagined what you'd be thinking or feeling. Then my mind just sort of started to fill up with thoughts of you and this weird feeling came over me.'

Though Draco was trying to be a good listener, Harry could tell something or someone was distracting him. Draco sighed, which sounded really strange when originating in Harry's mind. 'Next time, I'll have to try to reach out and contact you. We'll see if it works both ways. How have you been doing? I don't ever see you at breakfast anymore. Morning sickness?'

'Yeah, every day a breakfast time. I suppose it could be worse, though. Ron and Hermione help me collect food for a snack during class when my appetite attacks with a vengeance. And Ron usually helps me when the puking is really bad.' Harry wasn't sure if it was possible to shrug mentally, but that was the impression he communicated.

'Ah, yes, with your Weasley there to help, how bad could it be?' Harry didn't like that for two reasons. The first was the petulant, sarcastic tone to Draco's mental voice. The second was the way that Draco saying "your Weasley" had reminded him of a house elf. Draco as a house elf…bad image.

He had to pause for a minute and gather his thoughts before he could respond. 'Draco, would you rather I didn't have anyone to help me? Ron's just being a good mate.'

Draco exploded, and Harry got the impression that he'd been carrying around a lot of pent up feelings. 'No! I would _rather_ that I, the one person that _should_ be there through stuff like this, was the one helping you, instead of sitting on the sidelines watching you live your life and doing perfectly fine _without_ me!'

The first thing that occurred to Harry was that Draco was actually _jealous_ of Ron. But he figured that if he valued his life he better keep that revelation to himself. 'Okay, one, you don't know how much I wish it _could_ be you by my side, and two, my life is _not_ perfectly fine without you. I…I've barely slept since we've been separated.'

The bulk of Draco's anger deflated. 'Me either. Nightmares or visions?'

'Both.'

'Shit.'

'Yeah.' They were silent for a while, and Harry got the impression that Draco was speaking with someone in the usual, face-to-face way.

Eventually, his attention returned. 'This is getting ridiculous. We need to see each other. Speak face to face. Figure out something better than what we've been doing, or neither of us is going to make it much longer without our health suffering. And you at least need to stay healthy.'

Harry didn't disagree. Then he realized the perfect opportunity for them to talk with zero suspicion. 'I'm meant to go in for a check-up with Pomfrey on Sunday. We could talk then.'

Draco considered for a moment. "Not perfect, but workable, and the best we've got. See you Sunday then. What time?'

'Half past twelve.' After that they had to break their connection as they faced the hustle and bustle of the rush to leave the Great Hall.


	21. Chapter 20 Footsteps

**AN: Hello, dear reader! Another chapter for your reading pleasure! This chapter is building up to some exciting things to come! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 20 Footsteps**

By the time Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned to the common room after dinner on Friday, they were all exhausted. There was now only one week to go until Christmas break, and all the professors were working tirelessly to pack as much into the last days as they possibly could. The trio settled into their favorite chairs in front of the fire, Ron stretched his long legs towards the warmth, Hermione curled up with a book in hand "just in case", and Harry let his head fall back and his eyes close as he rubbed his tummy absent-mindedly.

After several minutes of companionable silence, Hermione spoke. "I've been thinking…" she began, and Harry knew without opening his eyes that Ron was rolling his. When did Hermione ever _stop_ thinking? Reluctantly, Harry forced his eyelids to lift, and he turned his attention towards Hermione. "Half the seventh years are pregnant. That is an extremely abnormal state of affairs, and yet we all seem to just accept it." She paused, her brow furrowing as she spoke. "_Think_ about it. The Ministry told us we had to have sex and get pregnant within a certain time frame, and we _listened to them_, minimum objecting, no fighting. Does that sound like us?"

Suddenly, Harry was feeling more alert. That definitely _did not_ sound like them. He tried to think back, to remember if he ever considered fighting the Ministry's orders. When he thought about it he realized he really _should _have, especially when Draco was assigned as his partner and he was freaking out, but it was as if the impulse to resist has been stifled. He forced himself to ask the question to which he feared he already knew the answer. "Hermione, is it possible that the Ministry has been messing with our will? Using magic to manipulate us into cooperating?"

"I need to do more research, but I believe it is."

Silence.

Ron finally chimed in. "What you're saying seems possible, even likely, and even the _idea_ of it is disgusting…so why can't I feel angry? I know I should. I _want_ to, but I just…"

"Can't," Harry and Hermione finished for him together.

"This is bad. We need to figure this out, fast." Hermione's hand fell protectively to the slight swell of her abdomen. "Let's just hope that even if the Ministry's methods are questionable, their motives are pure…"

An uncomfortable sense of dread settled over the group as they pondered that. They didn't exactly have a lot of faith in the Ministry.

Harry awoke choking on a scream, barely burying his face in his pillow in time to muffle it as it escaped. Once he'd quieted, he worked to settle his breathing as he recalled his most recent vision. Some of the details were already slipping away, but he gathered that Voldemort was doing some heavy recruiting amongst the younger generation. As revealed by his vision, their training included torture, self-mutilation, vicious duels, and cruel mind games. It was hard to watch any of the witches and wizards, many younger than him, participate _willingly_ in such activity, but worst of all was the last person he saw before waking.

The youngest of all of them was a boy, no more than 12, who reminded Harry of a little of himself at that age. Even more disconcertingly, however, was that there was something in his looks that also reminded him of Draco. That set him to thinking of their child, and the thought of their baby growing up to do the things this boy was doing…it made Harry's skin crawl. He'd struggled in vain to escape the vision as he watched the boy in action, as he'd become covered in blood and gore –his victims' and his own. But it was the moment when Harry realized this boy was ready and willing to apply his "skills" to his own little sister if it meant pleasing Voldemort that he couldn't take it any longer and he had finally woken.

This was one of the more disturbing visions he'd had in a while, and he craved comforting with every fiber of his being. He felt a flare of hope as he remembered connecting telepathically with Draco at dinner yesterday. He tried to focus on the image of Draco he'd created then, on the thoughts and feelings and understandings he'd formed. He concentrated so hard that he could feel his forehead wrinkling, but it was no use. It seemed that forming the connection was still trickier than he thought.

With a muffled sigh, Harry rolled to his side and curled into a ball. He didn't expect sleep would come again that night, and he settled in to wait out the dark. He distracted himself with fantasies of finally getting to see Draco again. 'Soon', he told himself.

Harry's feet carried him towards the infirmary with more haste than was technically necessary. He was actually running a bit early, but his anxiousness to see Draco had been building up since Thursday –and even before that, really –and he was about ready to burst. So he continued on in his unnecessary rush until he arrived at the infirmary doors slightly winded. Confronted with a makeshift waiting area consisting of a cluster of visitor chairs, he settled down to wait. There were still 10 minutes until his appointment time. Leaning back, he closed his eyes and attempted to release some of the tension he was carrying.

With the passing of several minutes, Harry managed to regulate his breath into a calm, even tempo, and he'd succeeded in settling some of the jittery feelings he'd been having. He heard the sound of footsteps and opened his eyes expecting to see Pomfrey, but instead he was confronted with Draco. Without deciding to, Harry rose from his seat. His gaze met Draco's, and for a moment they simply looked at each other, reveling in the luxury of eye-contact.

Their staring was suddenly interrupted when Pomfrey bustled out from behind a curtained area. "Ah, hello boys. Come on over here." She led them into their own curtained-off area, and Harry noticed she seemed a bit frazzled. "You'll have to wait a few more minutes, I'm afraid. I'm dealing with a bit of a problem with another student, but I shouldn't be too long." The two boys nodded, and she rushed away.

Harry tugged the curtain the rest of the way closed, then slowly turned to face Draco. For a long moment they just stood there. Harry felt something was off with Draco. He searched the blonde's face for clues, and noticed how Draco's gaze kept flickering towards the floor. And then he understood. Draco was uncomfortable. He didn't know what to do, and he doubted whether Harry still wanted him at all.

Tentatively, Harry took a step toward Draco, then after a brief pause he took another bringing them within a foot of each other. One more small, shuffling step forward brought him into Draco's personal space. It was like he'd flipped a switch. Draco closed the rest of the distance between them, enveloping Harry in his arms and pulling their faces together until their lips could finally reunite. Once he was sure Harry was responding positively, which he most certainly was, Draco began kissing Harry in earnest. For a while, the rest of the world disappeared. Harry was filled with an overwhelming desire to be touching Draco everywhere, to renew their connection in every way they could, to have sex and to talk and to hold and be held. But eventually they had to break apart as the sound of footsteps once again approached.

With practiced movements, Madame Pomfrey swished through the curtain and cast a string of privacy spells before facing Harry and Draco. "Alright then, onto the bed, Mr. Potter." Obediently, Harry climbed on the bed and, at Pomfrey's gesturing, lifted up his shirt. He could feel Draco's eyes on him, but tried to ignore them for the time being. He needed to keep his composure. Pomfrey chatted pleasantly as she performed several tests with non-verbal magic. "I have to say I'm very pleased to see you staying involved, Mr. Malfoy. Of all the pairings, yours was the one I expected the most…trouble…from. If I'd know all along that a baby was all it would take for the two of you to bridge your differences…" she trailed off, shaking her head and smiling ever-so-slightly. She completed the last of the tests with a flourish of her wand.

"Is everything good? With the baby, I mean?" Harry asked anxiously. He had no idea how to tell if anything was going wrong. The realization disturbed him, and he resolved to visit the library and become better informed.

To his relief, Pomfrey was nodded and smiling. "All is well for now, Mr. Potter. Your pregnancy is progressing normally. How is the morning sickness?"

Harry couldn't keep a slight grimace from his face. "Miserable and gross. But I'm dealing. Ron and Hermione have been helping me a lot."

Pomfrey smiled. "I can't say as I'm surprised. They've always been very good friends to you, dear."

Harry grinned back at her and then, reflexively, turned to share the grin with Draco as well. But Draco wasn't smiling. Oh, right. He wasn't so pleased about the fact that Ron and Hermione got to help Harry and he didn't, especially when he felt it was _his_ responsibility. Harry could feel the grin sliding off of his face, and when Pomfrey turned away for a moment, he patted Draco's hand. It was the best he could do for the time being.

Draco's expression softened, and he gently ran his hand down Harry's arm before speaking to Pomfrey. Harry struggled to suppress a shiver at the surprisingly sensual touch as he listened. "Will that be all, Madame Pomfrey?"

Pomfrey suddenly spun on her heal, her face holding the expression of one who's just had a revelation. "Oh, I almost forgot! Dumbledore needs to see you both in his office right away." She smiled at Harry conspiratorially before adding, "You probably shouldn't keep him waiting, or he might get _jumpy_. He may have had a bit too much _chocolate_." Following a nod from Harry, she flew out of their curtained area and into the next.

Harry rolled off the bed and, though he didn't really need it, happily accepted the support offered by Draco. Draco kept hold of him for as long as was excusable as they headed off to the headmaster's office side-by-side.

The majority of their walk was silent. It was so _odd_, having so much to talk about and yet not being able to talk at all. They needed to find someplace where they could finally drop their guards and talk and be together, before one or both of them lost it. And hopefully to better figure out the whole telepathy thing, so they could have at least one form of connection they could easily hide and therefore enjoy on a regular basis.

About two-thirds of the way there, Harry speculated aloud. "I wonder why Dumbledore needs to see us." He stole a glance towards Draco, trying to gauge his mood. His eyes were pools of molten steel, poised for whatever may come. Wary. Feeling quite similar, Harry nodded to himself in approval.

They arrived at the statue that marked the entry to the headmaster's office, and Draco's eyes flickered to Harry. "Do you by any chance know the password?"

Harry smiled. Not only because he knew the password, but also because he saw how warmth seeped into Draco's eyes when he looked at him. "Chocolate frogs," he spoke clearly, and the gargoyle jumped aside to reveal the familiar spiraling staircase. They rode it up together, and Harry knocked lightly at the door.

"Come in." Dumbledore greeted them with a smile as they headed for the two chairs arranged in front of the headmaster's desk, obviously for them. "Thank you both for coming. I hope you are well?" He paused for a brief second as they nodded. "Lemon drop?" They both politely refused. "Very well. On to business then. This week I'll be making the announcement; Hogwarts will be completely closed down for two weeks while we have our mid-year break." Dumbledore sent Harry a look that clearly said he should listen to the whole story before he started making protests, so Harry snapped his mouth shut and continued to listen. "We do not make this decision lightly, but I think it is vital that we take this opportunity to reassess and fortify the castle's security. We…have reason to believe an attack on the castle is likely. Not to prepare for such a scenario would be remiss, and this is undoubtedly the best opportunity we'll have for some time."

Harry and Draco absorbed the information for a moment. Draco got to the obvious question first, perhaps because it was more pertinent to him. "What about the students who'd planned on staying at Hogwarts over the break?" A jolt of surprise shot through Harry. Though he was planning on spending the vacation with the Weasley's this year, he certainly knew what it was to be one of the students depending on Hogwarts as a place to stay.

Dumbledore nodded solemnly, but Harry thought he caught a glimpse of a twinkle in his blue eyes. "After much discussion on the matter, it has been decided that students who were planning on staying at Hogwarts will instead stay in the homes of their peers. For anyone who isn't sure who to stay with, we'll match them up with families willing to help. In the case of seventh years in particular, though, it has been decided that students who'd planned on staying, like you Mr. Malfoy, would instead go home with their…repopulation partner." Harry and Draco stared for a moment, still taking in the ramifications of this information. In the meantime, Dumbledore added in a self-satisfied sort of way, "The majority of couples seem to have worked out quite well. Even the two of you have managed to put your differences aside. I'm very proud of you for that."

Finally, Harry spoke. "Are you saying Draco is coming with me to the Weasley's? I don't know if they'd…" He trailed off, but it was obvious what he meant. Next to him, Draco was steadily becoming a mess of tension.

Dumbledore's answering smile was almost a grin. "As a matter of fact, Harry, the Weasleys have already agreed to it. But you'll only be staying there the second week. A lot of relatives are apparently joining them for their festivities this year, and they simply won't have room for you both."

With a growing sense of dread, Harry asked, "So where will we stay for the first week?"

"At the Dursley's, of course."

Harry nearly fainted. They Dursleys hated anything different, magic or otherwise. They would _not_ be pleased to have him show up, over their Christmas holiday no less, with his male lover who also happened to be a wizard who'd gotten him _pregnant_.

This was _so_ not good.

"Hello? Earth to Harry!" Harry blinked and turned his attention back to Ron's assessment of the stats following the most recent Quidditch match, which he was managing to get out between bites of his dinner. His mind kept drifting back to the horrifying truth that he'd soon be returning to the Dursley's along with Draco. Ron hardly would have noticed Harry's lack of attention, absorbed as he was in his analysis, but Hermione refused to suffer through it alone and kept recapturing Harry's focus.

Determined not to think about the Dursley's again until he absolutely had to, Harry turned his thoughts to a more pleasant outcome of the day; he and Draco had agreed to meet after dinner in a concealed spot Draco knew. Well, actually they were meeting in an empty classroom near the entry to that spot, as Harry had no idea how to get there. His eyes flickered to the Slytherin table, seeking Draco. They locked on to the platinum hair, then narrowed when they discovered a mop of mahogany hair much too close.

The mahogany hair belonged to Theodore Nott, the boy who was whispering something in Draco's ear. A moment later he leaned away, a dark gleam in his eye. Harry carefully observed Draco's reaction. His pale eyebrows were pulled so low over his eyes that they created shadows. His mouth was set into a firm frown, but twitched at the corners as if he was struggling not to speak. He was gripping his silverware so tightly Harry feared for its survival. But the most revealing sign to Harry that whatever Nott had said to Draco had thoroughly upset him was that he could _feel_ it. There was an overwhelming tremble-y sensation of being backed into a corner. There was something going on between Draco and Nott, and Harry resolved to ask Draco about it when they met.

In any case, he had no more chance to ponder it as Ron, finally done with his Quidditch breakdown, had changed the subject to their vacation plans. Harry hadn't told anyone about what Dumbledore said in their meeting, so he had to focus most of his energy sidestepping half of Ron and Hermione's questions.

Once they all finished their dessert, the trio headed out of the Great Hall together. They parted ways when they reached the top of the first staircase as Harry headed to the library while Ron and Hermione headed back to the Gryffindor common room. Harry had decided to stop at the library on the way to his meeting with Draco to pick up a book about wizarding pregnancy. Once he was in the stacks, the books were easy to find and one title in particular, _Similarities and Differences: Muggle versus Magical Pregnancies_, stood out to him. There were several copies on the shelf, and in no time one of them was checked out and in his bag as he headed towards the classroom where he was meant to meet Draco.

He, Ron, and Hermione had left dinner a bit early, so Harry had more than enough time to walk the short distance. He therefore took his time, walking so leisurely that his feet barely made a sound as he padded along.

Up ahead he heard voices, and he slowed and quieted his walk even more as he approached the sound. At the end of a hallway he realized he was just around the corner from the source of the sounds; then he recognized one of the speaker's voices.

"I already told you, Theo, I'm not interested in playing this game with you anymore." Draco. Harry was suddenly hyper-aware of the sound of his breathing, and attempted to stifle it with his hand as he continued to listen.

"Aww, but Draco, it's such a fun game to play." Nott's voice was soft but also rough and scratchy, like velvet rubbed against the grain. "If I recall correctly, you used to _love_ it when I…" Nott must have done something then, because Harry heard Draco's sharp intake of breath.

"Stop it. We are no longer involved. You have no right to touch me anymore." Harry was surprised by how shaky Draco's voice sounded, almost afraid.

A low chuckle. "Come on, Draco. We both know that only makes it more exciting. Or have you forgotten how good it was when I pinned you down, when you told me no and I didn't listen."

Harry felt a knot forming in his stomach as he listened. Part of him wanted to run away, part of him wanted to jump out and defend Draco, and part of him needed to continue to hear the scene unfold. In the end he was frozen in place.

"I think your memory must be bad, Theo. It was _you_ who enjoyed those things. I was just there, I was just…"

"You were just laying there, taking whatever I gave you. Because you're needy and pathetic, and I was willing to take you. To fill the emptiness you felt. You can't tell me you don't still feel that way." A pause. "Or has your little romp with Potter gone to your head? It's not like you _really_ overpowered him, you know. He never would have given himself over to you if the Ministry hadn't ordered it. He wouldn't have opened himself to you as easily as you opened yourself to me. And he could _never_ give you what I can. He's probably barely looked at you since you got him pregnant. _I_ on the other hand, look at you as often as I can, though I would prefer to do so with fewer clothes…"

Harry heard a rustling sound which he guessed to mean Draco had pushed Nott away. He hoped he was right. Draco's voice, when it came this time, was stronger. "This has nothing to do with Potter!" He took a long, deep breath. "I. Am. Done. With. You. I don't need you anymore, and I certainly don't want you, so back off and leave me alone or I just might have to reveal certain information to the press regarding your father's less than scrupulous behavior..."

Nott hissed, and his next words came out harsh and punctuated like blows. "Fine. You can have your freedom. For now. But this is not over."

Harry listened carefully first to the sound of Nott's footsteps as he moved swiftly towards the dungeons, then Draco's as he walked more slowly into the nearby classroom. Harry counted to 100 after he heard Draco close the door before he rounded the corner and entered the room himself.

Oooo, I know, I'm evil to end it here. As usual, I'll try to get the next chapter out and end your suspense as soon as I can!

The plot thickens!


	22. Chapter 21 Trust

**AN: Yay, I'm back! So, lots of good stuff in this chapter, IMO. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter 21 Trust**

A heavy silence hung between Harry and Draco. Its weight had steadily increased as Draco led them from the classroom, across the hall, through a door disguised as a wall panel, up a winding staircase, and finally out into the chilly winter night air. So pervasive was the silence that even the normal outdoor sounds of the night seemed stifled.

Harry looked around at the sizeable terrace where they'd emerged, observing the blankets and pillows arrayed cozily in one corner but forgoing them for the time being in favor of pacing. He had no idea what to do with the information he had just gleaned by eavesdropping on Draco. He knew what he _wanted_ to do; he wanted to ask Draco about what he'd heard. There had to be some kind of explanation that would prove the situation was less awful than his imagination was trying to make it. It had _sounded_ like Draco had had some kind of perverse sexual relationship with Nott in the not-so-distant past, and that Nott was hoping to change the "past" status of their interactions. It had _sounded_ like Draco had submitted everything to Nott, even his pride, for reasons Harry could not fathom. The only bright spot in Harry's recently acquired knowledge was that Draco had pushed Nott away, had said that it was over between them.

The counterpart to that bright spot was the fear that had blossomed in Harry when Nott began to speak of Draco wanting to be the one doing the overpowering for a change. Was that all Harry was to him? Someone he could overpower? A voice in the back of his head that trusted Draco implicitly said no, said that the Union they had formed made that extremely unlikely. Unlikely, but not impossible.

The question remained, though, confront Draco or not? How upset would he be that Harry had overheard? Would he storm off? Shut down? Harry suddenly felt as if he knew Draco much less well than he'd imagined. However, the fact was that Harry was shit at hiding his strongest emotions, and that he could never really have a productive conversation with Draco about anything else until he'd cleared the air.

Draco had watched Harry's pacing in cautious silence, his wary eyes sweeping back and forth as they followed him. Just as Harry had come to his conclusion, Draco offered up a tentative question into the silence. "Is everything alright?"

Harry took a deep breath and braced himself as if he were about to jump off a cliff. At the moment, he felt he might as well have been. "I didn't mean to, but I overheard the end of your…conversation…with Nott before we met tonight. I'm not sure what to make of it, or how to feel. I'm sorry I eavesdropped on you." He'd tacked on that last part in hopes of avoiding an angry explosion that would only get them further away from the topics they needed to discuss.

A tremor wracked through Draco as if he'd been struck by a physical blow, and for a moment he stared open-mouthed at Harry. Then Harry watched in fascination as color began to creep into Draco's cheeks as he lowered his head and turned it away from Harry, casting his eyes to the floor. He released a small sigh, then finally spoke. "I really wish you hadn't heard that." He gestured to the corner with pillows and blankets. "We might as well sit down." Of all the reactions Harry had prepared for, this was not one of them. Draco seemed resigned and embarrassed and even ashamed. Harry wasn't sure whether that was a good sign or not.

Once they were settled, Harry gestured to the comfy accessories and asked half-jokingly, "So, do you often bring people up here?"

Draco, either ignoring or missing the joking half of things, managed a slight narrowing of the eyes and shake of the head as his only response.

Seeing Draco become so unreceptive warned Harry that he better get the conversation started before he lost his chance, so he opened his hands and said, "I'm listening." The words communicated more anxiety then he'd meant them to, due to the pitch and unsteadiness with which he'd intoned them.

"If I were to say that whatever happened in the past between me and Theo is completely over, would you except that and let it go?" There was a flatness to Draco's voice as he asked this, as if he could barely stand to ask the question.

Harry had to think about that for a moment, but eventually found himself shaking his head. There were some questions, at least, that he need answers to. He decided to plow ahead and ask one. "Have you just been using me all this time? To feel powerful, or…in control or something?"

Draco's head came up sharply, and his eyes widened so much that it made him look much younger. Harry winced as he was reminded of the boy in his vision. This seemed to alarm Draco even further. "I…that's not…you don't…I'M NOT LIKE HIM!" Draco was breathing heavily, like he'd just finished a race to catch the snitch. His gaze which had moments ago been intensely focused on Harry again flickered towards the floor.

The silence from before had returned, and it stretched out between them like a tight-rope. So slowly, cautious like a cat creeping in the shadows, Draco lifted his gaze back to Harry's face. "Dammit, Harry!" Harry jumped at the sudden exclamation. "Don't you understand, I've only survived this long by keeping people out, by putting up barriers. But for some reason, you seem to be able to just slip right past them! You can sense my emotions, because of the Union. You are carrying my child, connecting us for an extended amount of time. Physically, I'm drawn to you like a starving man to food. And now you want me to tell you about one of the most private, shameful parts of my life!" He took a moment to catch his breath. "I don't want you to know this part of me. I don't want you to look at me like…like you're looking at me right now. I don't want you to be afraid of me –I want you to trust me." By the end of his speech Draco's voice was little more than a whisper, and again he was looking away from Harry.

Harry reached out and tentatively set his hand on Draco's knee. "Then trust _me_. Tell me why you were with Nott. Tell me that you're not with him anymore, and why. Tell me you're not using me. Explain to me what happened, and I promise I _will_ believe you. Please Draco…" he hesitated before adding one last thing. "Please. It hurts me to see you suffering like this."

It was the last bit that finally got Draco to look up. "Okay," he finally whispered. "Okay," he repeated as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against Harry's. For a long moment they sat that way, their breath mingling between them. Then with a small sigh Draco pulled away, leaning on a pillow against the wall. Harry likewise settled himself as Draco began his story.

"It started fifth year. Voldemort had returned, and at that time I wanted nothing more than to join my father in assisting him. But Father shut me out, refusing to let me even be in the same wing of the Manor as him when he was conducting 'business'. So I was desperate for a way in. Theo's father was a lower ranking Death Eater than my father, but he was willing to share information about their plans and activities with his son. Of course, I didn't know that at first.

"I was never very close with any of my housemates, even those in my own class. Sure, we got along for the most part, but it wasn't safe for any of us to get too attached. I suppose I was closest to Pansy before I got together with Theo. It was convenient to pretend I was involved with her to keep away anyone who would have been brave enough to pursue me otherwise. Actually, it was my initial experimentation with her that made me realize I was gay. But I digress.

"Pansy had been getting sick of all my complaining about being kept out of the loop, and she started avoiding me. Theo must have heard me complaining to her, though, because eventually he approached me with an offer to share what information he had. I thought I had stumbled into the perfect solution, or as perfect as I would get. We met regularly; his father was quite the treasure trove of information. After a while I started to pick up on little flirtations from him, and I was intrigued. I had never been involved with a boy before, and I had to admit he was very attractive. So I started to flirt back. The flirting became increasingly overt, and it didn't take long for Theo to offer me another proposition.

"Maybe if I'd had a bit more self-respect, I would have held out. Then again, I doubt it. Pansy had all but deserted me except for 'public appearances' to keep up the illusion of our coupledom. Likewise with Crabbe and Goyle, who really acted as nothing more than bodyguards. My correspondences with Mother became more terse with each letter, and I hardly heard from Father at all. I was lonely, and Theo was offering me companionship…of a sort, at least. I jumped at the opportunity.

"I had no prior sexual experience with men, which Theo knew; he took a controlling roll, and I accepted that. Our first time together…well, it wasn't pleasant. At least not for me; he certainly seemed to enjoy himself. But all there was for me was pain. I lay there for a long time afterward, listening to him sleep back in his own bed. I remember I felt…cold and numb. I decided my fling with Theo was a failed experiment, and that we would go back to being…whatever we had been before. When I told him my decision, he wanted to know why, and managed to get it out of me that I hadn't enjoyed it, that it had hurt. He promised me he'd be more careful the next time.

"I should have rejected him then, but I was desperate to maintain the connection I had to him, no matter how flawed. And the next time was better. He took time to prepare me, took the time to find my pleasure spot, and by the time it was over I had come. Sure, he'd barely acknowledged that it was _me_ there specifically, but at least we'd both enjoyed ourselves. I allowed myself a small hope that our arrangement might work out after all.

"But before long Theo tired of making considerations for my comfort and pleasure, and he'd picked up on my desperate need to hold on to a physical relationship with him. He grew confident enough to test my limits. Instead of giving me pleasure, he took it away and replaced it with discomfort, dissatisfaction, or pain. He…" a long, shaky breath in, followed by a gusty exhale. "Eventually I cried out, told him 'no', told him to stop. He didn't. He would push me to the brink –he had an uncanny sense of exactly how far he could go –and suddenly he would replace pain with pleasure and I would come hard and fast. He always preferred to get my pleasure over with as fast as possible.

"I'm ashamed to say I continued my involvement with him until halfway through the first term of sixth year. That was when it really began to hit home for me that my life and the lives of my parents were on the line should I fail to kill Dumbledore. I couldn't deal with Theo and his shit anymore, and I was becoming so stressed that all of my appetites were dulled, including the sexual one. So I finally broke things off with him.

"That was the end of our relationship, sexual or otherwise. I imagine that if it weren't for the PUDDLE thing he would have approached me at the beginning of term; he probably improvised, deciding to wait for the dust to settle a bit. Or maybe he simply couldn't stand the thought of my involvement with someone else, or the thought of me having the 'upper hand' over someone in bed." He shrugged.

"But I don't think of it that way, think of _you_ that way. Harry, I _swear_ to you I'm not using you. I could never do to someone what he did to me. I…it did feel good at first, feeling like I had the control, but the truth is…"

Harry waited, but Draco didn't finish his thought. He tried to be patient, but he was dying to hear the end of that sentence.

He made a little impatient noise in his throat, and Draco consented to finish his statement in a small but certain voice. "The truth is that when we're together, even when I'm inside of you, I don't feel as if I _am_ in control. I feel like we are working together, like we're parts of a whole, like we're partners. When we're together, I sense that you're truly with me because you give all of yourself to me. I could only hope to respond with half of what you've given, which is another way you've managed to slip past my defenses. I hope you're happy, because you've made yourself irresistible to m –Umph!"

Harry swallowed the end of Draco's words in a kiss. It was long and slow, a leisurely reconnection. Their tongues slid familiarly against each other, flitting from one mouth to the other and back. Eventually they pulled apart, breathing heavily.

"I think you give more of yourself than you realize, Draco." Harry had meant it as a compliment, but Draco looked away. Gently laying his hand against Draco's cheek, Harry turned his gaze back towards him. He trailed his fingers down Draco's face, neck, and chest, reaching his mark there. He placed his palm flat over the mark, focusing on everything he was thinking and feeling and sending it to Draco.

For long moments thay sat like that, obvious wonder dawning on Draco's face. "How-" he began, cutting himself off as the sheer vulnerability in his voice registered with both of them. He tried again, "How can I possibly deserve to have someone feel this way about me? To have _you_ feel this way about me?"

Leaning back against the pillows, Harry considered the question and how to respond. "Touch me," he finally said.

"What?"

"Touch me."

"Why? Harry, I –"

"I have a point, and I'll get to it, I promise. Just do as I ask."

Uncertainty lining his face, Draco leaned towards Harry. Softly, he rested his fingertips across Harry's cheek before letting them drift down over his chin, neck, chest. When Harry still said nothing, Draco's hands drifted along his torso until they reached the bottom of his shirt. Taking his time, Draco pulled up Harry's shirt while letting his hands trail along the newly exposed skin. Harry sighed.

Once the material was cast to the floor, Draco shot Harry a questioning look. Harry whispered, "Kiss me."

This time Draco obliged without question, trusting that Harry was leading him somewhere. Harry smiled as their lips began to brush gently against each other. Draco placed several quick kisses along the outline of Harry's mouth before his tongue ventured out, requesting entrance. Harry not only granted entrance, but used his tongue to pull Draco's into his mouth where they pressed, tangled, and slid together. Finally, gently, Harry pulled away, noting with some amusement the dazed look on Draco's face.

"Feel that?" he asked. When Draco looked a bit uncertain, he elaborated. "Do you feel the…magnetism…between us? It starts out subtle, but the closer we get, the harder it is to pull away. It's like…"

"It's like even though we're only touching and kissing, we're connected, and if something tried to tear us from each other, a part of each of us would stay with the other. And when we…"

"When we make love, we pour ourselves into each other, trusting that we'll both be returned." Draco stared into his eyes, and Harry thought they were both becoming overwhelmed by the intensity of the connection between them in that moment. "That feeling is something we share, something I've never shared with anyone else…that I can't imagine sharing with anyone else. _That's_ how I can feel this way about you."

"Harry…" The way Draco spoke his name was almost a question.

A thousand thoughts passed between their gazes, too fast to read, and then Harry slid down in the pillows until he was lying below Draco. "God, Draco, I've missed you so much. Please…" he wrapped his arms around Draco's back, pulling him down.

Slowly, Draco lowered himself over Harry. When their faces were only a whisper apart, Draco breathed, "I missed you, too."

Then they were kissing as if they had never stopped. Harry's hands slid down Draco's back until they caught hold of the hem of his shirt. He yanked impatiently, trying to remove it. So quickly and smoothly that Harry barely registered it, Draco sat back, pulled off his shirt, and returned to Harry's mouth. Harry heard the shirt hit the floor as if from a great distance, lost in the feel of Draco's naked chest pressed against his exposed flesh.

When they had no choice but to come up for air, Draco's mouth slid along Harry's neck and continued downwards, creating a trail of moisture along his torso. Deftly, he unclasped and removed Harry's pants, and wasted no time assuring that his boxers followed. Harry watched intently as Draco's eyes took him in, and saw them darken to the intense blue he loved to see. Then Draco was removing the clothing from his own lower half, and Harry imagined his eyes were doing some darkening of their own.

Draco returned to Harry, their bodies flush against each other as Draco sucked the Mark on Harry's neck. Harry moaned, basking in the feeling, but after so long he needed to be fully connected to Draco. He lifted his legs, wrapping them around Draco's waist. Draco got the message; Harry felt the tip of a wand at his entrance as Draco whispered a spell, and Harry gasped as he felt himself suddenly not only lubricated, but prepared.

"Too much?" Draco asked, concern coloring his voice.

"Hell no!" Harry insisted. Whatever got Draco inside him the soonest was more than okay with him. "Now, Draco. I'm ready."

Reflexively, Harry took a deep breath, and he felt Draco breathe with him. As they exhaled, Draco guided himself into Harry, pushing forward.

Only a few moments passed before Harry couldn't wait any longer and he began to move, Draco eagerly following his lead. They moved together under the stars, Draco's rhythmic thrusts gradually picking up speed, Harry's breath coming out in little 'huff-huff's. Harry felt a pillow slide under his lower back, changing the angle of his hips at the same time that Draco slightly shifted his position over him. "If I remember correctly," Draco whispered, "this" he thrust forward and Harry cried out as his back arched, "is just where you like it."

Harry, too overcome to reply, responded by clenching his muscles around Draco, eliciting a satisfying exclamation that sounded suspiciously like 'Fuck!' After that, Draco slid forward again, so slowly it was almost painful…that is until he reached that magical spot inside Harry that made him groan with pleasure. Draco repeated this motion, keeping it slow, over and over as he stared into Harry's eyes, kissing him at random intervals. Every time Draco hit that spot inside of him, Harry got closer to the tipping point. He sensed that Draco was close, too, when he suddenly and unexpectedly followed his slow thrust with a quick one, then another, and then they were both flooded with the flash-burn of their orgasms as they found their release together.

When the final tremors had passed through them, Draco carefully pulled out and then collapsed on top of Harry. His head rested against Harry's chest, and Harry thought he must be listening to his heartbeat as it gradually calmed. They lay in silence for many minutes, Harry absently playing with a lock of Draco's hair as Draco listened to his heart and ran his hand up and down the ripples of Harry's ribcage.

As they lay in silence together, an alien feeling came over Harry. Alien, but wonderful. Unable to name it, he settled with making a contented sound in his throat. He and Draco still needed to talk, but a few more minutes together in the silence meant more in that moment than anything else.

Aww, what could Harry _possibly_ be feeling? Let me know what you think of the chap, if you're so inclined! See you next chapter! :)


	23. Chapter 22 Conversations and Surprises

**Chapter 22 Conversations and Surprises**

"Harry? Are we celebrating Christmas at your place or the Weasley's?" With this question, Draco carried the two lovers back to reality, a reality where they had some important issues to discuss.

"Hmmm…" Harry contemplated the question. "Maybe we can save most of our celebrating for our time at the Weasley's – I don't think the Dursley's would take too kindly to me expressing any kind of joy or happiness in their presence."

Draco was quiet for some time, but Harry didn't mind. He absentmindedly traced wandering patterns across Draco's skin while staring contentedly at the night sky. Eventually, Draco spoke. "Are we exchanging gifts, you and me?"

Harry directed his attention back to Draco's face. The blonde, who Harry noted looked glorious in the moonlight, seemed to hope Harry would read something more in his question, something he was reluctant to say aloud. Hesitant because he was not managing to decipher said hidden message, Harry began his response. "Well…I would like to. I mean, that is…you know, if you want to. We don't have to make a big deal out of it if…"

Draco's features became tighter and tighter as Harry spoke, and he finally trailed off as he realized he must be saying something wrong. But Draco still didn't speak, sticking to shaking his head back and forth slowly.

Completely lost and exasperated, Harry decided to tell Draco straight, "Listen, I can see you're trying to tell me something without _actually_ telling me, but let me tell _you_ I have no idea what that something is. I'm not a mind reader, you know." Harry was struck by his own words, wondering if with practice he actually _could_ be a mind reader, at least where Draco was concerned.

Draco sighed before mumbling something Harry couldn't understand. If Harry wasn't mistaken, it seemed as if Draco was blushing, which was slightly bizarre after everything that had passed between them that night. "What?"

Finally, Draco met Harry's eyes, and Harry thought he could see a hint of what Draco was trying to say somewhere in those blue-grey depths and he felt a trickle of anxiety mixed with embarrassment pass to him from Draco. Then Draco repeated his words, clearly and audibly. "It's our first Christmas together, and I don't much fancy experiencing it in front of the entire Weasley family. Especially since they don't know about us."

"Oh," was all Harry said as he tried to mentally resolve Draco's words and feelings. The embarrassment wasn't too hard to trace; admitting he cared about something romantic, their first Christmas together, couldn't have been comfortable for Draco. But the anxiety…where was that rooted? He thought it must have something to do with the Weasley's, but that was as far as he got. "That's a good point. And I have to admit, I would like to take some time for our own private celebration, exchanging gifts and all that. We should probably do that at the Dursley's, seeing as the chances of getting private time in a house full of Weasley's are slim to none."

Draco's expression softened, so Harry figured he must have at least gotten something right. "Yeah, that sounds good." He smiled, and Harry basked in it as he smiled back. A full, pure smile like that from Draco was rare. "And speaking of the Dursley's, I was wondering…how do you think we should act around each other when they're there? I don't think it would matter much for them to know about us as they have no connections to the Wizarding world other than you. But from what you've told me about them, it doesn't sound like tolerance would be one of their strong suits."

"It's not," Harry agreed. "But I have to admit, it would be nice to spend a week together not worrying about being caught, so to speak. Plus, it could be sort of fun to see their reactions. Although the pregnancy might be too much for them to handle. Do you think they'll notice the bump?" He ran his hands over the slight swell in his abdomen as he asked.

Draco's hands joined his as he responded, "Only if you wear something tight, or they see you with your shirt off. I think it's safe to say we could avoid those two things." He grinned. "Though I wouldn't mind seeing you in something skin-tight some time." Harry grinned back, and pulled Draco's face to his for a quick kiss. When they broke apart he continued, "A week of not hiding our relationship does sound quite tempting, especially when you consider all the energy we'll be spending to hide it the next week. But it's up to you, Harry. I'll follow your lead on this one."

"Okay. I think we should be open while we're at the Dursley's…but maybe try not to rub it in their faces too much? Otherwise uncle Vernon might decide to kick us out, and aunt Petunia might even let him."

Draco snorted. "They sound like such lovely people, I can hardly wait to meet them."

Harry laughed a little too, though without much humor. They fell into silence again, and Harry had almost drifted off when Draco whispered, "Harry?"

"Hmmm?"

"Could I borrow your owl while we're at the Dursley's? I'd like to send a letter to my parents, but I don't want to send it from Hogwarts. The mail here can be monitored too easily."

"Oh, have you heard from them?"

"Dumbledore finally gave me a status report on them last week. They are safely hidden, for now."

"I'm so glad to hear that Draco, you must be so relieved! And of course you can use Hedwig. But, what happened to your owl?"

Draco sighed. "He was never really _my_ owl. He's more of a family owl my parents let me use, but they decided to take him with them into hiding. They didn't want to be completely cut off, and he's our best owl. But he's only for emergencies, as there's always the risk of him being recognized. Nobody would suspect Harry Potter's owl of carrying Malfoy correspondences though, would they?"

Harry shook his head. "I suppose not. Like I said, you're free to borrow her." He paused for a moment, deciding whether or not to say what he was thinking. Ah, what the hell, he figured he might as well go for it while they were having a night full of sharing. "Draco…is it very hard to be forced to stay away from them? Especially with it being Christmas, with everyone going off to be with their families, how are you dealing?"

To Harry's surprise Draco considered the question for a long moment before pushing a lock of hair behind Harry's ear as he answered, "It is…unpleasant to be separated from them this way, but I keep trying to remind myself that it is worth being separated if it means they stay safe. And…" he cleared his throat, "and at least I'm not alone anymore. I have you," he cupped Harry's cheek, "and we're starting our own family," he rested his free hand just below Harry's belly button. He squeezed his eyes closed, almost as if he were afraid that if he opened them he would discover that this was all a dream. "This is so much more than I dreamed of having when we started school in September. Actually, more than I thought I would ever get, the way my life was going."

Harry placed his hand over Draco's on his abdomen and gently kissed his closed eyelids. "I know how you feel. The way my life was going, I didn't think it likely I'd live long enough to start a family of my own." Draco had opened his eyes at the touch of Harry's lips, and was watching carefully as he spoke, as if he were reading his thoughts on his face rather than hearing them spoken. "I guess in a backwards sort of way we owe the Ministry our thanks for them meddling in our lives in such an intimate way." Harry couldn't help but scrunch up his nose as he mentioned the Ministry, not only for everything they had done in the past, but also for what he, Ron, and Hermione had begun to suspect they had done in the name of the PUDDLE initiative.

"What is it?" Draco really had been paying close attention.

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "When the Ministry declared that we had to get together with a fellow classmate and make a baby, when you found out you were paired with me, when they invaded our privacy to assure we were cooperating, did you at any time think of fighting back? Of protesting, or at least questioning such intrusive actions?"

"I…did you?" he asked, sounding a bit defensive.

"No. Listen Draco, I'm not accusing you here. I was talking about this with Ron and Hermione, how strange it was that we didn't fight the Ministry on something like this. How strange it was that we couldn't feel angry about it even though we knew we should. We think they may be using some kind of spell to control or change the way we feel."

"That's…" Draco began. He squinted his eyes as if trying to see something small from a great distance. "Merlin, it's true. I _can't_ feel angry at the Ministry for this! It's like the feelings are being siphoned out of me. What does this mean for us? I mean, what do we do?"

"For now? Wait for Hermione to do more research, unless you want to help her do it. But I warn you, she can get a bit overzealous about this sort of thing."

"Granger, engaging in extreme behavior in regards to knowledge? Shocking!" Draco drawled sarcastically.

Harry nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, be nice! We're all on the same side now, after all." He'd said it teasingly, but Draco suddenly sobered.

"On the same team…not that Granger or Weasley know it, though. They probably still think I'm evil scum of the earth, don't they?"

"Oh, I wouldn't go _that_ far. They just…don't know you like I do. Maybe we could work on that, since we're all going to be stuck together for a week anyway."

Just like that the anxiety from earlier trickled back into Draco's features and he pulled away from Harry, sitting up fully and beginning to dress. "We need to get back. Don't want anyone to notice us missing."

Moving more slowly Harry sat up and began dressing as well. "Draco? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just don't want us getting caught." He was avoiding meeting Harry's eyes.

"Okay…let's go then. I'm ready." Without another word Draco led them back to the hallway where they'd entered. They walked silently until they reached the point where they needed to head in different directions. Harry twined his arms around Draco's neck and kissed his lips softly before whispering, "Goodnight." He let his fingertips slide along his cheek and neck as he pulled his hand back.

Draco finally looked into his eyes again. "Goodnight." He kissed Harry's forehead and then turned on his heel, striding purposefully and silently down the corridor. Harry watched until he couldn't see him anymore, then turned and headed back to Gryffindor.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had somehow managed to survive the torturous last week of classes before their holiday. Ron had heavily indicated that such a result had only been possible thanks to Hermione, and Hermione had tried not to appear too pleased by the compliment as she acknowledged all the hard work the boys had put in themselves. Thankfully, the opportunity to spend time and speak with Draco last weekend had settled Harry enough mentally and emotionally that he had been able to stay focused, though every now and again the nagging question of Draco's sudden anxiety would intrude on his concentration.

On the bright side, the trio had planned a trip to Hogsmeade on Saturday, and so had had an extra treat to look forward to. As they headed out the main doors of Hogwarts into the whirling drifts of snow whipped about by biting winds, they questioned how much of a treat the trip was really going to be. Then again, they had originally intended the trip to be an opportunity for last-minute Christmas shopping and, busy as they all had been, Harry had a feeling each of them still needed to get quite a few gifts. Except perhaps Hermione, but it was clear to Harry that she still had _some_ kind of urgent goal for the day from her purposeful strides and occasional instances of babbling.

As they approached the village and prepared to go their separate ways, Ron spoke up. "Okay, so we're all meeting up at the Three Broomsticks in four hours to say goodbye before apparating, right?" Harry and Hermione nodded their agreement. Ron continued, "Does, er, Malfoy know when to show up, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry replied stiffly, recalling their conversation four evenings ago. Harry had finally worked himself up to telling Ron and Hermione about Draco joining him over the vacation. He kept his explanation to what Dumbledore had told them, and said as little as necessary to communicate the basic facts of the situation.

Predictably, Ron's reaction once he got over his initial shock was, "Wow, mate, that sucks. Are you gonna be okay trapped with him for a whole week?"

"I'm sure I'll be perfectly safe, Ron," Harry had replied a bit stiffly.

"Okay!" Hermione cried, stirring Harry from his memory. And with that, they were off to shop.

It had been fairly easy to decide what to get for his two best friends. He browsed the bookstore for Hermione's gifts, and the Quidditch supply store for Ron's. But it had taken him a bit more time over the course of the week to decide where to go for Draco's gift.

Now that they were acknowledging the romantic significance of their first Christmas together, Harry was determined to get the absolute right gift for Draco. He had considered potions books, Quidditch paraphernalia, and even jewelry as options, and had eventually rejected them all. He wanted to get something that was special, something that Draco wouldn't get for himself (which, he remembered Hermione mentioning not-so-subtly around Ron, was the key to a romantic gift), something that Draco would appreciate for the way it fit him.

It had finally clicked in the middle of his Transfiguration exam; he could get Draco a new owl! He would have to choose which owl very carefully, of course, but it fit the criteria quite well. As Harry had experienced, getting an owl was special. If Draco was going to get one for himself he would have done so already. And if Harry chose well, the owl would be well suited to Draco.

And so after finishing all his other shopping and carefully shrinking the packages and storing them in his pack, he set off for the section of Hogsmeade that contained several stores in a cluster that sold pets and pet supplies. When he arrived he headed straight for the owls; a flash of grey had already caught his attention and he was eager to see the bird more closely. He strode excitedly toward the shop…and nearly fell face first as he tripped on something small and warm. By the time he looked down to discover the source of warmth it was already dashing away so quickly that he barely caught sight of the blue-grey blur as it slipped past several feet and through a nearby door.

Curiosity getting the best of him, Harry pursued his mysterious assailant into what turned out to be the pet shop where Hermione had discovered Crookshanks. He headed to the front desk as his eyes scanned the room for any hint of the source of the blue-grey color.

"Can I help you, sir?" inquired the kind-looking man behind the counter.

"Yeees," Harry replied slowly, drawing out the word in his uncertainty. "I'm looking for…well, I'm not actually sure what it was, but something tripped me and then ran in here and I was trying to find out where it's gone…" He trailed off as he realized he was rambling like a mad man.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can be of much help…lots of people come in and out, you see, though most just like to look at the animals and then leave," he said the words as if describing a despicable crime. From his point of view, Harry thought, he probably was. "I haven't noticed any animals coming and going, though it wouldn't be the first time some clever creature got away."

"Yes, that's alright. I understand," Harry spoke distractedly, his thoughts already drifting back to the owls. He turned to leave when he heard a soft impact behind him followed by a brush of fur on the back of his neck and a chirping, "Mrrrow?"

He turned, coming face to face with his assailant. It was a blue-grey cat with subtle tabby stripping and striking sea-foam green eyes that seemed to glow from its face, an effect emphasized by the slight darkening of the fur around its eyes, nose, and ears. It was fairly small, probably not yet a full adult, and its thick medium-length fur looked ideal for dealing with weather like they were experiencing at the moment. Harry cocked his head to the side as he studied it, and adorably it mirrored the gesture a moment later as if it were sizing him up as well.

"And who do we have here?" he asked aloud, flicking his eyes towards the kindly man.

"Ah, is this the one you were looking for?" he asked jovially. Harry nodded. "This," the man continued, "is one of our more recent arrivals, though not the newest. We got her a month or so back, as a little bit of a thing. The rest of her litter was quickly adopted, and now it's just her."

"Why wasn't she adopted as well?" Harry couldn't see any reason she wouldn't make as good a pet as any other cat, at least.

The man, Harry finally managed to read that his nametag said "Will", shifted from one foot to the other and back before replying, "Before this moment I hadn't even managed to get a good look at her. She's been hiding out since her litter arrived, retreating into whatever nooks and crannies she could find to avoid anyone and everyone who's come in here. Until you."

"Odd," Harry agreed, taking a few cautious steps closer. The cat chirp-meowed again and when he reached out a hand, she rubbed her head against it. Her fur felt soft and downy against his skin, like a blanket. He took another step closer as he asked, "Does she have a name?"

While Will answered the cat circled a few times as if chasing her tail in slow motion before settling with her face pointed towards Harry and licking her paw. "Not any official name. We haven't seemed to manage to settle on one that really fits her, especially considering it's been near impossible to get to know her while she's hiding all the time. Mostly we call her Hidey or Cranny." He shrugged.

Suddenly the cat fixed her eyes on Harry before slinking towards him and reaching her front paws up to his shoulder. At first he thought she would climb up there and perch like a parrot, but her hind legs remained on the counter. She pressed her cool, moist nose against his neck, and before he could stop her she licked the mark there. He braced himself for pain, but it didn't come. It wasn't like when he touched it and felt nothing, or when Draco touched it and he felt everything; nor was it like the painful reaction of having his friends touch it. So what did this mean?

She nudged the mark, her whiskers tickling the skin of his neck, before meowing insistently this time as she sat back on the counter. Harry stared into her sea-foam eyes and she stared back for a long moment before blinking slowly at him as if to say, "Well?"

Harry turned his eyes to Will. "Do you have a safe way for me to get her home?"

When Harry arrived at the Three Broomsticks he discovered, in one of the back rooms, Ron and Hermione standing stiffly a meter or so away from Draco and eyeing him suspiciously. Draco had a sour look on his face, and Harry immediately concluded that the three of them had had some sort of argument before he'd arrived.

"Draco? What's going on?"

Draco jabbed his head in the direction of Harry's friends. "Ask them."

Harry gazed at Ron and Hermione expectantly, knowing they would read the demand for information in his gaze.

Hermione took a deep breath as if preparing to speak, but Ron beat her to it. "It's not a big deal, Harry, the ferret's just over-reacting. Hermione and I were simply explaining to him that if he so much as lays a finger on you while he's staying with you that we are ready and willing to make sure he pays for it."

Harry's mouth fell open, and for one bizarre moment he thought they had somehow figured out Draco had been sleeping with him and were threatening to make him pay if he did again. Then he realized their concern wasn't about sex, but violence. More than anything he wanted to defend Draco, to declare that he would never hurt him, but that would bring up too many questions he couldn't answer so he bit his tongue.

He heard Draco growl low in his throat, and felt Draco's anger ripple through him. He wondered what infuriated Draco more, Ron threatening him and telling him what to do or Ron accusing him of intending to hurt Harry.

Ron, apparently oblivious to Draco's rising wrath, continued. "Sneer at me all you want Malfoy, but we all know it would be easy to find someone in the Ministry willing to bring you in. And since you failed at your life's ambition of being a Death Eater, your daddy won't be around to bail you out this time!"

"Ron!" Hermione cried.

SMACK!

They all stood in stunned silence, Ron pressing a hand to his now-red cheek and Harry staring at his own hand in shock. Yes, he really had just slapped Ron. The only thing that had kept him from full-on punching him had been some small part of his brain that had screamed the reminder that Ron was his best friend.

He really couldn't have stopped himself after Ron's comment; a comment he knew would sting Draco deeply at the heart of his greatest insecurities. The thought of Draco hurting like that made him blind with rage, a rage fed by Draco's own fury lapping at his mind like a relentless tide.

"I –" was all Harry could get out as his two best friends stared at him in shock.

The silence dragged on until Draco finally ground out a single word. "Hormones," he said, voice still rough with emotion his friends would likely take as residual anger but what he knew to be far more personal and complex. When they all looked at him blankly he continued, "Remember, Potter, Pomfrey said your hormones might cause you to act strangely, to over-react to things sometimes."

"O-oh, right," Harry agreed, though in truth Pomfrey had told him no such thing. This was Draco's attempt to excuse Harry's reaction and protect their secret.

Hermione looked doubtful, but a moment later she glanced at her watch and jumped. "Oh my! Ron, we were expected at the Burrow five minutes ago!"

With that Harry bid his friends a hasty and fairly awkward goodbye before watching them disapparate, Ron shooting a final warning glance at Draco just before they disappeared with a pop.

He and Draco quickly followed suit, appearing in an alley a short walk from the Dursley's house. Draco made as if to immediately begin walking, but Harry grabbed him and held him back.

"Draco, we need to talk about this before we go. We can't go into that house with anything less than a united front."

"There's nothing to talk about." Draco's eyes sparkled with the dying embers of his anger. As his gaze settled fully on Harry he relaxed slightly but still spoke more harshly than Harry liked. "Unless you want to discuss your friends' idiocy, or perhaps your rather spectacular display of indignation on my behalf?" He raised an eyebrow as he finished speaking, his eyes lingering admiringly on the hand that had struck Ron.

"Draco," Harry spoke the name with a mixture of exasperation and affection. "The thing about close friends is that they care about you a lot. Sometimes they care about you so much that it can seem annoying. Ron and Hermione are being over-protective, something they do well, and it _can_ be extremely irritating. But it's one of the ways they show that they care what happens to me, and I feel bad for hitting Ron…even if he did deserve it. I…I think you could use a few people in your life that care for you the way Ron and Hermione care for me."

Draco's eyes narrowed very slightly, but Harry caught the movement. "Why, because having only you to be annoyingly over-protective of me isn't enough?" he asked half- teasing, half-challenging.

"I know I might seem like a nag right now, but I'm only saying this because I l – I'd love to see you happy." Harry stumbled over his words, but that hardly mattered to him in that moment. He'd just had a stunning realization and almost blurted it out to Draco right there and then. He wasn't ready to say those words to Draco; he hadn't even really been ready to admit them to himself. But there they were, on the tip of his tongue without his permission, and along with them all the intense and confusing feelings that breathed life into them.

"Harry? I'm getting markedly intense emotional vibes from you right now. Are you alright?" Harry looked up to see that Draco's eyes were brimming with concern. He'd stepped close to Harry, and placed a hand under his elbow as if to support him.

"Yes, I'm alright. I care about you a lot, you know? Sometimes it still takes me by surprise."

Slowly - and so, so gently – Draco placed a kiss on Harry's forehead before drawing him into his arms, wrapping him in a warm embrace. Harry felt a slew of jumbled emotions from Draco as he responded, "Yeah, me too."

They stayed like that for a long minute. When they disengaged Draco caught hold of Harry's hand, and they walked together as Harry led them towards Privet Drive.

They walked in companionable silence, and as they approached Number 4 it occurred to Harry that he wasn't sure if Draco had meant that he was sometimes taken by surprise by how much he cared for Harry, or that he was taken by surprise by how much Harry cared for him.

Maybe, just maybe, he had meant both. Harry's heart fluttered at the thought.


	24. Chapter 23 Dinner Date at the Dursley's

**Chapter 23 Dinner Date at the Dursley's**

When they arrived at the Dursley's door, Harry paused there for a moment before deciding he'd better knock. Even if it _was_ technically his home, he didn't think his relatives would take kindly to him just letting himself in. Somewhat to Harry's surprise, it was Dudley who answered the door.

"Hullo, Dudley," Harry said amicably.

Dudley's eyes narrowed, and his forehead scrunched up in concentration. Or, as Harry liked to think, with the effort it took to form complete sentences. He didn't invite them in, or even at least step aside so they could enter. Harry was about to say something about it when he noticed Dudley's gaze flickering to Draco and his cousin finally spoke.

"Let's get one thing straight before I let you in, Potter. None of your freaky behavior while you're here. If you ruin the holiday for us with your _abnormality_, you'll be out the door before you know it. And you might want to fill your guest in on how to behave here as well." His eyes landed on Draco again. "Who is this, anyway? Your _boyfriend_?"

The question was obviously meant to be an insult, but Harry didn't even have time to process it and have a reaction before Draco slid one arm around his waist and held out his opposite hand in greeting as he responded, "As a matter of fact, I am. Draco Malfoy."

When Dudley didn't take his offered hand, Draco let it drop indifferently. Dudley was staring at the two of them with a sort of fascinated horror, eyes wide and mouth gaping.

"Diddy-kins, is everything alright? Who's at the do –" Aunt Petunia turned the corner from the kitchen, freezing in mid-sentence as she took in her flabbergasted son and the new arrivals waiting on the doorstep.

It took her a moment, but she collected herself back into her usual persona, and spoke briskly to the boys, "Come inside and close that door, you're letting the heat out." As if woken from a trance, Dudley hastened to obey. Harry and Draco stepped inside, finding themselves bookended by the two Dursleys; Harry felt Draco's hold tighten.

Nevertheless, the blonde could of course be counted on to uphold decorum. "Draco Malfoy," he said. Aunt Petunia accepted his offered hand, however reluctantly. Harry felt a flash of annoyance from Draco, and reckoned he didn't appreciate being treated as if he had dragon pox or some other communicable disease.

Petunia turned to Harry. "You'll be sharing your bedroom. I expect you to brief your guest on the rules of this house. There's about an hour until dinner will be served; get settled in and cleaned up, I expect you to be on time and presentable."

Without a moment's pause she turned to head back to the kitchen. For a moment Dudley looked like he wanted to say something, but he soon headed toward the living room in silence.

"So…those are the Dursleys. Well, two-thirds of them anyway. I wonder where Vernon is at this hour." Harry shrugged. He was perfectly happy to put off any confrontations with his uncle for as long as possible.

He took Draco's hand, intending to pull him up the stairs with him, but Draco wouldn't budge. "Draco?"

"I want to see it."

"See what?"

"The place you used to sleep…under the stairs."

"Draco…" Harry trailed off uncertainly. He was rather surprised Draco even remembered him mentioning where his relatives used to make him sleep.

"Show me," the blonde said definitively, and Harry figured he ought to just get it over with.

They walked the short way down the hall, stopping at the little trapezoidal door. Harry felt an odd wash of emotion, something resembling the ghosts of fear and loneliness. Draco must have picked up on it, but the only outward sign that he had done so was the slightest tightening in his face. Harry pulled the door open, and for a long moment he and Draco simply stared at the space in shock. It was so small! Harry couldn't imagine how he'd ever fit in there. The oddest thing, though, was that it had been left for all these years just as it had been when he'd slept there, with his little make-shift bed and shelf scatted with the few toys he'd managed to collect and hold on to.

Harry was broken from his thoughts as the door closed before him with a brisk click. He looked around and realized Draco was watching him. He shifted uncomfortably. "It's nothing, Draco. It's in the past." When Draco continued to watch him silently, Harry decided it was time to get out of the hallway. He caught Draco's hand in his and dragged him up the stairs as he had originally intended to do.

Once they were closed in Harry's bedroom, Draco seemed to find his tongue. "I don't understand you."

"What?"

"I don't understand how you can be so good, so compassionate and fair, when _this_ is how you grew up! Why aren't you more bitter, angry, something! I can tell this place makes you feel small and defeated and afraid, even now. Like a –" he cut himself off abruptly.

"Go on, say it," Harry whispered.

"Like a victim," Draco finished.

"I know it may seem that way but I'm not…I don't think of it that way. I know I'm not powerless like I used to be, and sometimes I just need to remind myself. It's not a big deal."

"Maybe not to you."

Harry sighed, plopping down on his bed; Draco sat down beside him, wrapping an arm around him and letting his head rest on top of Harry's.

"It's like what you said earlier," Draco continued. "I'm only saying this because I care about you."

"I know." They sat on Harry's bed, enjoying the shared warmth of their embrace. The sound of heavy footsteps in the hall, presumably Dudley's, broke their bubble of peace. "Come on, let's take a shower before dinner."

"Sounds good to me," Draco grinned flirtatiously as he stood.

"Draco, we only have half an hour until we're supposed to be ready and waiting at the table."

"Plenty of time, then."

"Well, that may technically be true, but we do need to actually get clean in that time as well."

"Okay, so let's get dirty first. We can get clean after."

"Draco! If I have to I'll make you shower _alone_. Is that what you want?"

Draco had backed Harry towards the wall by then, and he pressed Harry's body between his own and the wall as he whispered in his ear, "You don't play fair."

Harry put all his effort into fighting the effects of Draco's seduction, and was proud when his voice came out steady. "Here's how this is going to work." He forced Draco to meet his eyes and really _listen_. "We're going to take a shower, during which we will get clean, and that is _all_ we'll be doing in the shower. We will then get dried off and dressed and arrive for dinner on time. Hopefully if we make a good first impression the Dursleys will at least leave us alone more or less.

"After dinner we will have time alone. All to ourselves. In this room, with no interruptions until morning. We can have some…_quality_ time then. Got it?" As Harry spoke of quality time he slowly slid his fingertips up the length of Draco's arm and across his chest, and Draco definitely got the message if Harry was reading the spark of fire in his eyes correctly.

"Alright then, let's get clean."

Draco managed to demonstrate an impressive amount of self-control during their shower despite all the naked flesh so readily available to him. Harry was pretty impressed with his own self-control as well; if he was being honest, showering with Draco made him feel beyond tempted. But in the end (AN: hehe, no pun intended) they had managed to get clean in a timely fashion, and were working on toweling off.

After he finished drying himself, Draco stepped towards Harry and used his towel to siphon the water from his dark locks. He was ruffling the towel around on Harry's head when a knock came at the door, causing him to pause in his ministrations.

Dudley's angry voice thundered through the door. "Potter, what the bloody hell is taking you so long? There are other people in this house besides you who need to clean up for dinner you know!"

Draco removed his towel from Harry's hair and wrapped it securely around his own waist, and Harry followed his example. Harry was about to turn the door knob when Draco grabbed his wrist.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"What?" said Dudley.

Draco's eyes slid to Harry's small baby bump, and Harry recalled their conversation about not letting any of the Dursleys see him shirtless. "Stay behind me," Draco said.

"Okay," Harry agreed.

"You're in there together!" Dudley cried. Draco chose that moment to open the door. Harry made sure to stay in his shadow. Even if he had been dancing around completely nude he didn't think Dudley would have noticed, though. His gaze was completely focused on Draco.

"Why wouldn't we shower together? It isn't that strange a thing for boyfriends to do, is it?" While he spoke, he subtly waved his hand towards Harry's bedroom door, in an indication that Harry should get in there while Draco distracted Dudley. Harry was happy to comply.

Dudley, meanwhile, seemed to have completely lost the capacity for speech. Instead his mouth opened and closed over and over, making him look like a rather large guppy. Draco smirked his signature smirk, and without further comment followed Harry into his room. The sound of a door closing a few moments later confirmed that Dudley had at least not forgotten what he was supposed to be doing.

"That was close," Harry commented.

Draco nodded. "What do you think would happen if they did find out though?"

Harry considered the question as they got dressed. "Nothing we couldn't handle, I suppose. I imagine a fair amount of yelling on Vernon's part, a bit of shrieking from Petunia. From what I've seen tonight, Dudley would probably just stare at us with his mouth open. Then again, fighting with the Dursleys is about as pleasant and productive as bashing your head against the wall, so it's still worth it to try our best to avoid ruffling their feathers." He shrugged and turned to leave.

Draco opened the door and held it so that Harry could pass. "Shall we then?"

Harry smiled at Draco, briefly caressing his arm as he passed. "Thanks. Yeah, let's get this over with."

They made their way down the stairs and arrived in the dining room to find they were actually a bit early. Harry was curious as to why the Dursleys were having a more formal dinner than was their norm. He highly doubted it was in honor of Draco's presence. The table was only set for five, so they couldn't have been expecting any other guests. But all thoughts of formality flew from his head as an odor wafted from the kitchen and overwhelmed his sense of smell.

It was an oily, fishy smell, heavy and pervasive. Harry felt his stomach clench, but tried breathing through his mouth to get past his nausea. That had worked in the past sometimes, as long as it wasn't around breakfast time. Draco placed a hand between his shoulder blades, rubbing small circles there. The soothing effect combined with the breathing seemed to be doing the trick. He looked into Draco's eyes and was about to thank him when the kitchen door swung open fully, admitting three Dursleys along with the source of the nauseating fish smell.

Harry's eyes widened as he felt the need to vomit rise within him, and in his sickened and panicked state he found it difficult to think clearly. The Dursleys didn't even notice there was anything the matter until Draco magically conjured a bucket. In the seconds before he noticed said bucket, Harry was able to recognize that Vernon was building up for a bellow –probably something about displaying their abnormalities in the house. Then he was violently and spectacularly sick in the bucket, and Vernon pulled up short before converting his bellow into an exclamation.

"What's the matter with you, boy? Is this some kind of ploy to get out of eating dinner with us? Because if it is, believe me we aren't exactly thrilled about eating with you _either_! But Petunia here has worked hard on this meal, and you're not getting out of it _that_ easily if I have anything to say about it!"

"Which you don't."

Draco's defiant statement, spoken with such matter-of-fact authority that Harry doubted Voldemort himself would question it, was followed by a resounding silence. Draco took the opportunity to vanish the sick-splattered bucket and cast a few cleansing and freshening charms on Harry's face and mouth.

Then, as if the Dursleys weren't there, Draco asked, "Are you alright now?" and when Harry simply nodded Draco stroked his cheek before placing a quick, gentle kiss on his lips.

Harry couldn't help but smile a little in response, and his smile grew into an all-out grin when Draco added, "See, now don't you wish I could have been there the other times, too? I'm betting, or at least deeply hoping, Weasley didn't help you recover like _that_, or in any other way half as pleasant."

At that point, Harry had kind of forgotten about the Dursleys as well (he wasn't used to them being so silent!), and he kissed Draco the same way Draco had kissed him.

Vernon broke the silence. "What is the meaning of this!"

Draco rose an eyebrow, his expression clearly saying, 'I should think it was quite obvious'.

Surprisingly, it was Dudley who responded, "Malfoy is Potter's _boyfriend_."

Harry reflected that as strange as it was at times to think he was in a romantic relationship with Draco Malfoy of all people, it was stranger by far to hear Dudley say so.

"What!" Ah, yes, there was the classic Vernon bellow. "It's bad enough to have you in our house with your _abnormality_, and now THIS!" He gesticulated wildly with his hands as if a great deal of clarification were necessary in the identification of exactly what 'this' was.

Harry thought he saw Dudley twitch after that exclamation, but couldn't think of any reason for him to do so. He shrugged it off. Draco spoke up while Harry was still trying to rein in his roiling mind and body to form a complete sentence. "In our world, neither of the qualities you're raging about makes us even the slightest bit unusual. Now, I request that you calm down at once, sir. You are upsetting Harry and completely spoiling the dinner you advocated so adamantly moments ago."

Vernon appeared rather taken aback to be spoken to in such a way, and Harry had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. Alas, Vernon did eventually regain his voice…and his ire. "Insolent boy! How dare you speak to me that way when you are a guest in MY HOME! I ought to throw the pair of you out onto the street right now and lock the door behind you!" He took a step towards them as if preparing to do just that.

In a flash Draco was standing, wand drawn and aimed unerringly at Vernon's chest. Needless to say, the giant man stopped short. Petunia finally spoke up, reacting to the threat against her husband. "You can't do anything! You're not allowed…you'll get in trouble!" Her words sounded more confident than her voice.

Draco's gaze flicked to her for a fraction of a second before he refocused on Vernon while giving his response. "We're both seventeen now, legally adults in the Wizarding world." All three Dursley's flinched when he said 'wizarding'. "That means we are free to use magic," another round of flinches, "if and when we see fit."

The tension of the moment drew on, stretching out in the silence like a cat in the sun. Finally, Harry eased himself out of the chair and put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "I think they get it now, Draco. C'mon, let's find something for dinner…we can eat in my room." So much for avoiding upsetting the Dursleys.

Vernon looked about ready to shout some more about all the work Petunia had put into the dinner, but the woman herself spoke up. "Let them go, Vernon. Their presence would only spoil our celebration of your promotion anyway. Besides, they don't deserve to enjoy my cooking."

Harry tried and failed to suppress a snort as he pulled Draco towards the kitchen. Judging by the tension still rolling off the blond, he was not so amused.

After a bit of rummaging through the fridge, Harry had found all the necessary ingredients for some sandwiches. It was a testament to Draco's state of mind that he made no comment about Harry preparing food "the muggle way". When Harry gathered up the sandwiches along with some snacks and drinks and headed for his room, Draco trailed behind him in silence. The gryffindor was gearing up to snap his slytherin out of whatever cloud it was he seemed to be trapped in, but he lost focus shortly after placing the impromptu picnic fare on the floor, jarred by the sharp click of his bedroom door locking.

Draco proceeded to place several security-type enchantments and wards on the door, after which he turned to see Harry gaping at him. "What?" he asked casually, as if it were perfectly normal to ward a bedroom door as if you were in a war zone.

Harry shook his head, but he was grinning as he said, "I highly doubt we have anything to fear from the Dursley's. They're too afraid of what we or other wizards might do to them. Besides, between the two of us I think we could take them." He casts a cushioning charm on the floor, sat down, and began to lay out their picnic.

Joining him on the floor, Draco replied, "I'm sure we could, but I'm hardly about to take that chance with you. If you were to be hit, or knocked over or into something…if you hit something wrong we could lose the baby." He tried to keep the cool, matter-of-factness in his voice, but Harry heard it waver a bit. Now that Harry knew him better, he realized Draco struggled to pretend to care less than he really did. No wonder it had taken them being forced together to learn what kind of person Draco really was.

He also felt his gut twist at what Draco said, but not because of the thought of losing the baby – though that was certainly sickening enough. No, it was because if Draco was this determined for him to avoid a confrontation with relatively powerless muggles, how would he feel knowing the role Harry was meant to take in the fight against Voldemort? It was a sudden and shocking comprehension, as much as the depth of his feelings for Draco had been, that he was going to have to tell Draco everything…the truth about his connection with Voldemort, the Prophesy, and the horcruxes. And as quickly as he recognized this he felt apprehension and dread settle in the pit of his stomach.

"Harry, what is it?"

Yet another reason Harry would soon have to come clean: Draco was becoming increasingly adept at reading Harry's emotional climate, and it wouldn't be long before he became suspicious…if he wasn't already. Harry swallowed thickly. "Nothing, just…imagining if we lost the baby…" he trailed off, hoping the half-truth would suffice. After scrutinizing him for a moment Draco let it go, though Harry sensed he wasn't totally convinced.

They ate their meal in companionable silence, chatting now and then about random memories of their childhoods, Hogwarts, past Christmases and favorite gifts. When Harry got to thinking about the adorable cat he'd gotten for Draco, he felt sort of concerned and guilty about the temporary captivity he'd forced her into despite the fact that at the shop Will had assured him she would be unharmed and remember nothing. To her it would seem as if she'd been transported from the moment she entered the container to the moment it was opened in the blink of an eye. Still, he felt the urge for the gift exchange to be sooner rather that later.

"Hey, Draco? How would you like to exchange gifts tonight?"


End file.
